The main objective of plasma education is promoting quality education thereby producing efficient, effective and civic-minded citizens. It also properly assists teachers.
Except Amharic, History and Sport subjects, Television educational programmes have been broadcast in ten subjects in secondary and preparatory schools across the nation.
The government has expended huge amount of money to bring plasma TV programmes forth. Plasma television receiver, accessories, spare parts are among the major equipments that have taken the lion’s share of the cost. The cost is relevant because it has a purpose to mold forthcoming generation to produce efficient and effective doctors, engineers and teachers ….etc who can be competent enough in the world market.
Dawit Teffera is Educational Media Programmes professional in Education Information and Communication Technology Center. He said that TV educational programmes are transmitted through satellite. Then, schools have been educating their students after receiving the prgramme through plasma.
The other benefit of plasma is, it is of great importance in filling schools gaps and assisting teachers to make teaching-learning process effective. Some schools may not have laboratories and all teachers have not equal efficiency. Plasma education is important to address the aforementioned loopholes, ensure quality education and raise students efficiency, he underlined.
Though this is the general truth of plasma television programme, according to the assessment made with regard to its implementation, it was not open in all schools as per the schedule. Since schools are unable to receive clear things and show their student though there is transmission. In this regard, Ormiya state is acknowledged because it is properly implemented plasma television programmes. Here, the effort of the Amhara state is also worth mentioning as it has shown great improvement through drawing important lessons and best practices from Oromiya State, Head of the Center, Gebeyehu Workeneh confirmed.
Schools which are found in the remaining states would fall into the sequence of good, beginner, staggering and none stage. In other words, there are schools which are being in good movement, there are also at the beginning stage, others staggering as a result of their low capacity and who did not have an interest to open plasma at all.
As far as the link between teachers and plasma TV is concerned, there are teachers who have plasma phobia. The phobia is thought resulted from being illiterate of plasma technology. They hate plasma because they are not capable of operating it.
Some teachers stand close to plasma and ask their students: “Shall I teach you or the plasma?” It seems it is not a mistaken, as far as I am concerned, as they have thought that plasma education is snatching their profession. Teachers who were found at the training programme entitled: “Assuring the Use and Effectiveness of Direct Plasma Programme Transmission,” which was prepared by Education Information Communication Technology Center were in a position of sharing the above idea.
Dereje Matiwos came from Hawassa town Tabore High School of South Nation and Nationalities Peoples state(SNNPs). He is a School Plasma Transmission Coordinator and English Teacher. He said, “Especially, old aged teachers have plasma phobia .”
Oromiya state, Jimma zone Agaro high school basic technical drawing teacher Asegedech Degineh has also a firm stance and said, “What is the importance of plasma to teach drawing? Because drawing by its nature is a practical lesson.”
Being offered by the training, the attitude of these teachers is changed. Derege plans to change the attitude of teachers in his schools and maintain plasmas when they stack following small difficulties. Teacher Asegedech also has a plan to contribute her own share by using plasma in her period to make students effective. The student and I will attend plasma TV programmes about drawing. Other trainees also have similar attitude.
Student and plasma TV education
There are students among the majority who dislike plasma education. As a result, they would kike now and then to touch the plasma illegally and get it damaged.
Adama Hawassa Preparatory School Economics Instructor, Misrak Abebe raised new idea. Interestingly, among students, there are some who are familiarize themselves with the technology better than teachers. They are exchanging information via social media network and visit computer laboratories thereby they didn’t give attention to plasma education. There are some who dislike it on the contrary.
Misrak made herself familiarized with plasma through training. Now, She has known very well about education channels and transmission schedule in terms of time. The training would help teachers avoid worrying about education saying; “Is there plasma education or not? What can I teach students?”, they understood about the content of plasma education. They said that they are certain how they utilize it and prepared themselves according to the content and will try to change students attitude towards plasma utilization. The trainers promised trainees to give a copy of training manuals which assist them about plasma and plasma television programes.
What loopholes does plasma have?
Plasma TV education has faced shortage of both professional and spare parts. To solve this, it requires budget and coordinated efforts of schools at zonal, state and federal levels. Like efforts exerted in planting plasma, they explained that it would be quite important to think to of building capacity about plasma maintenance. The other bottleneck is shortage of electricity. This would be solved when the provision of electric power is increasing. Besides, schools which have financial capacity can resolve the problem through buying generators.
Besides the training, the center has been providing teachers with training about plasma television circulating to various schools found in various states at Summer. According to Dawit, there have been commendable improvements in this regard. To further make this system of education fruitful, coordination of stakeholders is badly needed. The society should protect plasma wires and others transmission lines well. And both teachers and students should change their negative attitude towards plasma.
Technological factors
It is compulsory to use both plasma and others technological innovations to foster education through it. In the absence of technology, both teacher and students cannot equally compete with international standards and they would not be in a position to register commendable result.
Dr. Gebeyehu Workeneh said, “We have to move in a coordinated manner to get the technology well advanced and make the generation and our selves benefited much out of it as well as to save our children from unwanted contest. We have to assist them by introducing them to the technology because our children will compete with students of China, America and other developed countries.”
Plazma is introduc
ed to the country at a cost of huge amount of money, hence, it should not be left idle. It has to be covered to prevent from dust. It must also be given proper maintenance service.
Dr. Gebeyehu said, “Illiteracy or inability is not a crime. It is a crime when someone withhold the illiteracy. So, a teacher who does not know about the technology, should ask anyone who knows about it. Educational managers, in this regard, should make utmost effort in assigning professionals. Students should be proud of knowing the technology to know many things across the globe. Both the plasma and the teachers should be properly attended by students when explanation is given.
(Translated from Addis Zemen by Girmachew Gashaw)
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* Originally published on Ethiopian Herald, on March 10, 2013, titled “A few points about plasma television programmes”.
