Web-based training in Public Administration in South Africa : principles and considerations

Abstract

The use of information technology for the delivery for educational programs is growing rapidly worldwide. In the United States of America and Australia the number of higher education institutions which are making use of online education to teach Public Administration is constantly increasing. Surveys done by the National Association of Schools for Public Administration and Affairs (NASPAA) in the United States of America found heightened interest in distance education. In 1995 it was found by NASPAA that Public Administration was offered by 12% of higher educational institutions to students online. One year later the number had increased to 24%. The last NASPAA survey in 2000 showed an increase of 39%. It is possible for students in the United States of America and Australia to complete a Public Administration degree online. However, in South Africa the use of web-based training for the delivery of Public Administration as a science discipline is still under utilised. It was found that only six, or 20% of the higher educational institutions offering Public Administration to students in South Africa, made use of web-based training in 2002. This compares poorly with the United States of America and Australia. Due to distance, time and financial constraints it therefore becomes difficult for officials or students interested in government related studies, to travel to a university or even to take the necessary three years to study for a Public Administration degree. Web-based training programmes should provide the opportunity to address these problems. By redesigning the content of Public Administration courses to be completed on the World Wide Web, higher educational institutions in South Africa should be able to reach more students, than would normally be the case. Although South Africa is the best developed of all the African countries with regard to the use of information and communication technology (ICT), South Africa still experience some limitations. These limitations include access to computers, infrastructural development, telephone line connectivity, and in may cases access to electricity.