completed · Education· Health

Introducing a shared platform to boost e-learning in Nepal

Millions of Nepali people have access to computers, mobile devices and Internet and there is a growing demand for e-learning courses in Nepal. Supply of e-learning content (courses, e-books, etc) is presently very limited, because of the lack of the right ICT infrastructure, which is expensive for suppliers to invest in. Especially in the Nepali language, there is hardly any content.This project invests in an e-learning portal, based on the Software as a Service delivery model, which gives third parties like schools, colleges, Universities, hospitals, government Ministries and agencies and private sector companies the opportunity to develop and upload e-learning content in a cost effective manner and make it available to their pupils, students and employees.The service will be offered on a commercial basis and the main advantages for curriculum suppliers are that they do not have to invest in the required hardware and software themselves (but get access to the portal on a subscription basis), and that they can get professional support from the joint venture with e-learning content development and dissemination. This will take away the thresholds for growth of e-learning in Nepal and provide access to tens of thousands of people during the project and millions of people on the middle term, to e-learning facilities, both in urban and rural areas.The project will create 67 new jobs and will lead to knowledge transfer in the field of data centre operation and maintenance, e-learning system customisation, operation and maintenance, and e-learning content development and upgrading skills.The project is a cooperation between three companies, which have highly complementary competences in the field of e-learning. The applicant is Mediopia Technology Corporation (Mediopia) a South Korean company established in 1993. The company is active in the ICT sector, more specifically in IT System Integration, E-learning (solutions, contents and services, WEB 2.0) and the Security business.Local partner Asian E-learning was established in 2005. The company provides a range of ICT services including software development, multimedia design, network design, implementation and maintenance work related to Learning Management Systems and various consulting services related to e-learning.Third partner AK Books and Educational Enterprise (AK Books) was established in the year 2002. The company is active in content development, publishing and distribution of educational materials.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The joint venture will apply for ISO 9001 certification, which assures that the company will have a quality management system according to international standards. A complete and formalised CSR policy will be formulated as a deliverable of this project. Some of the subjects that will be included in the CSR policy are:- The company will adhere to the labour laws of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal;- The company will always comply with all ILO regulations, including child labour, safe working conditions regulations and regulations regarding women in the workplace;- Gender equality will be ensured and the company will act as an equal opportunities employer, regardless of the social, cultural, religious and/or ethnic backgrounds of the employees;- Appropriate measures will be taken to minimise negative impacts on the environment. This will include a company waste disposal plan.Impact• Employment and working conditionsAll employees will have fixed contracts. All labour contracts will be compliant to Nepalese labour law. The monthly salaries are well above the minimum level and employees are entitled to fringe benefits like medical services, retirement plan, paid holidays and possibility for education.The company follows the internationally recognised ILO Labour Standards, which guarantees that the working conditions are good and safe.The training focuses on knowledge transfer on subjects that are new or rare in Nepal, in the field of data centre hardware, software and content development. Employees will acquire new skills on state-of-the art technologies, which will strengthen their position in the labour market.• Innovation / Transfer of knowledgeThe main innovative aspects are:- Introduction of tailor-made Data Centre technology for the construction of a SaaS-based e-Learning system in Nepal;- Development and deployment of portals;- E-Content Development as a consultancy service.• Chain effectsDirect suppliers of raw materials and/or local services are suppliers of various inputs to the company, like company and employees’ insurance, external education for employees, implementation of the retirement plan, external auditors, office supplies, promotion and advertising companies.Local content companies will be involved in order to develop current printed course contents into an open e-learning environment.B2B clients will benefit from improved availability, lower costs, access to infrastructure, high quality infrastructure, professional support with developing e-learning content and standardisation of the market for e-learning. The boost e-learning gets through this project will also lead to more businesses.Furthermore, the joint venture will also develop and distribute e-content itself for specific target groups, such as health care workers, migrant workers, etc. Such groups will mainly benefit from cost effectiveness of local accessible training courses and examination opportunities, saving expensive travelling costs from rural areas.• Impact on the sectorThis project will be fully embedded in the Nepalese education sector in the broadest sense and it will boost e-learning in Nepal, thus creating critical mass for this modern form of education, which can reach millions of people in urban and rural areas. Close cooperation with the clients is foreseen, which includes knowledge sharing about e-learning content (development) and ICT infrastructures. The platform creates economies of scale for its clients, while creating an affordable opportunity for them to offer e-learning.Suppliers of traditional educational material (books, papers) will be offered the opportunity to take their products to a new level by offering the possibility of digitalisation, thus broadening the reach of their markets.The project will be developed in cooperation with and embedded in academic, institutional, governmental, NGO, healthcare, and industrial settings, matching a vast demand in Nepalese society and economy.• EnvironmentThis joint venture is aiming not having an adverse impact on the environment directly. But the cooling system installed with the data centre, high energy consumption and the use of fossil fuel during business work will certainly have some environment concerns. But the joint venture is committed to respect national and international norms to minimise the negative environment impact. The hardware investments are based on state-of-the-art, highly energy efficient systems. Upon availability, the venture strives to green energy sourcing. A waste disposal plan will be developed.• Position of womenThe percentage of women that will be employed by the joint venture will be at minimum 35% in all levels of the company, including management. The project will enhance girls/women education by providing anytime, anywhere learning opportunities for them.