In a world where humanity has accumulated vast amounts of knowledge,
the gap between those who have access to this information and those who
do not continues to exist. Serebra Learning Corporation, proposes an
e-Learning solution that aims to make knowledge accessible to anyone,
anywhere. Are you ready to be part of a global learning phenomenon?In the midst of the intense mid-afternoon heat, a man tosses freshly-picked pineapples into the back of a truck. Cows and goats are parked outside of an Internet café. We are in Kayunga, Uganda; a town located approximately 100 kilometers north of Kampala, the nation’s capitol.
Inside the café, people young and old tap away at computers. In one corner sits a woman who takes multi-tasking to a new level. She works away at a computer, books open on the table next her, while monitoring several children who are playing with toys scattered on the floor around her feet. She tells me she is busy learning Microsoft Word.
I ask her why, and she replies: “You see the man outside throwing pineapples into a lorry? That is my brother. All his life, he has thrown pineapples into a lorry. Before him, my father threw pineapples into a lorry. And before him, my grandfather threw pineapples into a wagon.”
She waves an arm over her children. “I don’t want my children to throw pineapples into a lorry. I want them to have choices. The answer is education.”
E-Learning: Creating avenues for global education
It is widely recognized that in our information-driven economy, “knowledge has become the single most important asset for individuals, companies, and countries.”
The woman learning Microsoft Word at the Internet café in Kayunga is only one of many memorable people I have met and had the opportunity to speak with during my travels. In Uganda, Egypt, Pakistan, South Africa, Sudan and other countries around the world, I have witnessed the deep motivation people have to educate themselves.
{mosimage}The desire for education is palpable. Our challenge is to create opportunities for people in remote and economically disadvantaged regions of the world to gain the skills and education they need to work towards a better future. This is where e-Learning offers a viable solution as an educational resource that is both high in quality and cost-effective. As a result of initiatives taken on by governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), access to computers and the Internet has increased substantially in many parts of the developing world. Internet usage in Africa has increased from just 4.5 million users in 2000 to over 65 million users in 2009. In Asia, Internet usage has increased from 114 million Internet users in 2000 to 704 million in 2009. By collaborating with each other, we can use the Internet to create new learning opportunities for knowledge-seekers around the world.
We all benefit from educating the world
Serebra’s Educate the World (www.educatetheworld.org) campaign provides businesses with the opportunity to accomplish two objectives at once. Companies are able to train their own employees, as well as incorporate a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program that sponsors education for people in developing nations. It’s a design that exemplifies synergy at its best.
Businesses gain access to Serebra Campus, a robust and versatile learning management system, through the corporate training aspect of Educate the World. Serebra Campus allows training administrators to manage enrollment and course approvals, track and report learner and course details, print completion certificates, as well as provide up-to-the-minute reporting of test scores.
Through the CSR element of Educate the World, companies can sponsor the delivery of e-Learning courses by purchasing and distributing pre-paid easyLearning cards. EasyLearning (www.easylearning.org) is a global education program that provides people in developing nations with the opportunity to develop their employability skills and qualifications. Learners have access to a catalog containing over 1500 certification-level e-Learning courses that provide them with the skills and knowledge employers need, enabling them to increase their options in vocational and career choices. Program sponsors are able to brand the cards they purchase, then distribute the cards to students in developing nations. Corporations may select their preferred NGO to manage card distribution, or choose an NGO that is already involved with easyLearning.
Examples of branded easyLearning campus websites include www.el.ae sponsored by Emirates Telecommunications Corporation in the United Arab Emirates, as well as www.easylearning.co.ke in Kenya, sponsored by Pamonet Communications. Learners visit the campus website, and redeem the activation code on their easyLearning card to receive three months of unlimited access to the course of their choice.
Education is an investment in human capital. Skilled and knowledgeable people add to the economic prosperity of developing nations and support the stabilization of developing economies. Through e-Learning, we can work towards creating a more educated, prosperous world. This is our mission: Educate the world, one person at a time.
Ted Moorhouse is Chairman and CEO of Serebra Learning Corporation. His next trip is to Amman, Jordan. Learn more about Educate the World at www.educatetheworld.org.
