Ministry, Union, the Church and Teachers: Bolivia's Partners in Innovation. LearnTech Case Study Series, No. 6.
A process of developing and testing an instructional methodology called interactive radio instruction (IRI) was begun in 1986 in order to improve the quality of primary school mathematics in Bolivia. When the development phase was complete and implementation well under way, management of the resultant Radio Learning Project (RLP) passed from the non-governmental organization (NGO), Fe y Alegria, to the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC). Today, seven years after the initial pilot, approximately 600,000 primary-school children have enrolled in the RLP, renamed PARI; more than 8,000 teachers have been trained and certified in the IRI methodology, and in 1992, Radio Math achieved national recognition as the "official" mathematics program of Bolivia. This case study assesses how NGO management sustained RLP continuity, describes how broad-based teacher support laid the base for institutionalization, and looks at how IRI has revolutionized education in Bolivia. Rather than dwell on issues related to methodology or impact, the study assesses the sustainability of PANI from the sociological perspective, focusing on the issues of participation of people and systems key in driving national diffusion and sustainability. An appendix provides a chronology of events. (Contains nine references.) (Author/MAS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************
Health Education through Interactive Radio: A Child-to-Child Project in Bolivia
In developing countries it is common for older children to assume much of the responsibility for care of their younger siblings. Based on this observation, the "child-to-child" approach to health education targets these older children as a means of improving child health. As the initial phase in the development of a radio health curriculum in Bolivia, a module on diarrheal disease was developed and field-tested among fourth- and fifth-grade students in Cochabamba. The module consists of 10 interactive radio lessons in which the students respond orally to drill and practice, sing songs, or write key concepts in their notebooks. Following the 25-minute radio broadcast, the teacher conducts a 20-minute session that focuses on application and practice of the new behaviors. The module includes lessons on personal hygiene, water and oral rehydration, home sanitation, and nutrition. The field evaluation revealed the need for modifications in the teachers' role and greater attention to teacher training. Students responded enthusiastically and achieved significant knowledge gains as a result of the program. Plans are underway to expand the radio health program.
The economics of the open university revisited
Revision of earlier cost calculations for the Open University and Conventional Universities in the U.K. for 1973 confirms the findings of a significant cost advantage to the Open University. An analysis of developments at the Open University since 1973 indicates, however, that there has been little reduction in average cost in real terms and no improvement is likely on known developments to 1979. This is surprising for it might be expected that as student numbers rise average costs would fall. A more detailed analysis of the structure of Open University costs indicates why this has not happened. A major determinant of costs is the number of courses and these have continued to grow rapidly since 1973. The rate of increase of new courses has been faster than the rate of increase of new students. In effect the University has been using the economies provided by increased student numbers to increase student choice through the provision of more courses rather than reduce average cost.Average cost could be reduced whilst keeping the same number of courses by changing the components of the teaching system such as broadcasting. If such fundamental changes were not acceptable then an alternative would be to change the mix of courses between the relatively expensive science and technology areas and the cheaper arts and social science areas. A further alternative is to keep the same mix but ensure a longer life for science and technology courses.