4. Information and communication technologies and the nation

facilities which has proved popular

tertiary academic facilities are

among students who have shown

independent entities and this would

willingness to pay up to USD 200 per

imply resale of EthioNet's service by

course for access to the one way

AAU. EthioNet has been unwilling to

video conferencing service, which has

hand over the .edu.et domain  to the

an audio return path for speaking to

University of Addis Abeba as it believes

the lecturers. A variety of

the domain should not be controlled

programming, computer literacy and

by an interested party, but should be

computer hardware maintenance

administered by an independent

courses are taught via the facility.

agency.

Connectivity is provided by VSAT and

is one of the only telecom links

ESTC also has a number of other ICT 

operating independently of the ETC.

related programmes:

Currently, AVU Ethiopia is hoping to

win a bid for course content

To deliver education to workers

development for all of the AVU units

via extension programmes and

in Africa. The AAU provides a degree

evening study, once ESTC's

and diploma programme in computer

existing computer lab is

science and has changed its former

expanded.

department of Library Science to an

Information Systems degree program.

To upgrade the skills of teachers

There are also a variety of private IT

in service during summer

training colleges, of which Micro Link,

holidays. There is currently a

CPU colleges, Ethilink and HelcoE are

print based programme, but

among the most well known.

ESTC would like to use the TV

network and the Internet to

The Ethiopian Science and Technology

deliver distance education.

Commission (ESTC) provides support

Negotiations have taken place

for ICTs and networking in the

with the Educational Media

academic and research sectors via its

Agency to produce interactive

National Computer and Information

distance education materials, but

Centre. While the ESTC has sensitized

the fees quoted for production of

most of the academic and research

USD 1.2 million were deemed

institutions (including those outside

excessive, so ESTC is planning to

the capital) to be aware of the

set up its own multimedia lab at

potential of electronic

the University.

communications, the lack of available

funds has been major limitation on

To collaborate with ETC's distance

usage when combined with the high

education labs based around the

cost of access to ETC's Internet

country.

service. To address this, ESTC has had

a plan since mid 1996 to establish a

The School for Information Studies in

full Internet hub called AAUNet on

Africa is also based at the University

the Addis Abeba University campus

of Addis Abeba. It has established a

which would form the nucleus of a

research programme on African

phased expansion toward a national

Information Society issues, and is also

academic and research network

the national centre for the support of

linking the 6 universities and 18

the UNESCO developed full text

national research centres.

database system, CDS/ISIS.

3

A British NGO, Ethiopia Aid, has

The Institute of Ethiopian Studies is

already installed a USD 1.2 million

being assisted by the Faculty of Afro 

fibre optic backbone linking the 5 AAU

American Studies (FAS) at Harvard

campuses (the Black Lion Hospital, the

University to establish the Ethiopian

Medical Faculty and the Veterinary

Art and Architecture Database Project.

school 40 kms away will be linked in

The Project plans to build a

the second phase). However, EthioNet

comprehensive photographic archive

has not been keen to supply the

and database of Ethiopian art and

Internet link because the other

architecture. Developed in

27