FEATURES OF TRADITIONAL AND MODERN MASS MEDIA’S DISTANCE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES USED IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN AFRICA

The article deals with problems of establishing a learning environment for distance learning under the conditions of insufficient development of telecommunication infrastructure in Africa. Radio and TV hold a special place in bringing educational content: mass media provides support to educational institutions in developing their distance learning curriculums. Besides, local, community-type telecommunication bodies, such as radio stations, also prepare educational programs. Initially, the task was to overcome mass illiteracy, but since 1990, regional governments have been pondering also over raising the quality of education. International cooperation in the field of educational programming and grading systems is being widely established in Africa (PASEC, SACMEQ, EGRA, TIMSS, PIRLS, PISA, SABER). Still, region's infrastructure lagging in the field of telecommunications curbs new Internet-based educational technology implementation and restricts adoption of contemporary interactive distance learning forms. Basically, widescale programs for integrating the Internet into the classrooms have just only begun; among them so called e-Schools program is known. Satellite (RASCOM, NILESAT) and CATV (WACS, ACE) projects have been also covered in this work.