Online education

Egypt to expand online education system amid coronavirus outbreak

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Africa/ Egypt/ 09.06.2020/ Source: www.egyptindependent.com.

 

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Monday said that the government will expand its online education system in order to prevent overcrowding at university campuses and schools amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

During a meeting with Minister of Education Tarek Shawky, Minister of Higher Education Khaled Abdel Ghafar, and Minister of Telecommunications Amro Talaat, Madbouly said that the government will establish solid technological infrastructure to develop the country’s online education system during the academic year 2020/21.

Madbouly added that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked for internet capacity to be increased so that the online education system’s contents and database can be saved.

Talaat, meanwhile, asserted that the Ministry of Telecommunications is making great efforts to increase internet capacity and to improve internet services in Egypt.

For his part, Shawky presented several tools to develop the online education system, including an e-library containing interactive digital curricula allocated to grades KG1 to G12.

Shawky added that Ministry of Education is preparing to broadcast live lessons for grades G-9 to G-12.

Shawky discussed a proposal for merging the “face to face” education and “online education” systems in the new academic year, with the aim of helping students obtain knowledge and skills through a “hybrid education” system.

Source of the news: https://www.egyptindependent.com/egypts-government-expends-e-education-system-amid-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak-prime-minister/

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Kenya: MKU reduces school fees by 30pc to ease burden on guardians

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Africa/Kenya/24-05-2020/Author: Hunja Macharia/Fuente: www.kbc.co.ke

Mount Kenya University has slashed school fees by 30% in a bid to cushion parents and guardians from the effects of Covid-19 pandemic.

MKU Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration, Dr. Evans Mwiti said it would be unfair for the University to charge full fees yet students have not been attending face to face classes.

He said most parents have suffered due to the effects of the pandemic and would be hard pressed to raise fees.

Mwiti said the University in partnership with Telkom and Safaricom introduced online teaching in their May/August Semester to ensure that students complete their studies on time.

He said staff and student will get subsidized bundles to enable them access online learning information and materials.

Dr. Mwiti however said that students who will be unable to access online services will be accorded an opportunity to complete their studies once learning resumes.

The University board of directors Chairman Prof. Simon Gicharu has already established a six member team to implement online learning classes.

The team spearheaded by School of Education Dean Benson Njoroge will also explore the possibility of conducting online examination.

Meanwhile the University has extended the contracts of staff and lecturers that had lapsed or were due for expiry until the institution re-opens.

The Government in March ordered schools and universities to close as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus.

Mount Kenya University reckons that the closure derailed contracts talks and in the process blocking the release of salaries of those whose employment terms had expired.

“Covid-19 has affected normal operations where internal processes are followed to validate the renewals and there is a standing policy that inhibits the directorate of finance from processing salaries for the affected staff whose contracts have expired.” Said a memo signed by MKU chairman and Founder Prof. Simon Gicharu.

“We direct the council to extend all contracts for all staff in and outside Kenya month by month until the university re-opens to enable the affected staff to renegotiate their contracts in the normal manner.” He said.

The pay directive will benefit affected workers at MKU’s eight campuses in Kenya, four open learning centres in Kisii, Kakamega, Kitale and Meru, MKU Rwanda, country offices in Uganda, Somalialand, Puntland, Burundi and Uganda.

In March, MKU and Japan-based Osaka City University jointly won a Ksh 450 million grant from Japan International Cooperation Agency for malaria research.

The funds will be deployed for research on malaria prevalence in Homa Bay.

Source and Image: https://www.kbc.co.ke/mku-reduces-school-fees-by-30pc-to-ease-burden-on-guardians/

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China Distance Education Hldgs : CDEL Announces Strategic Investment in Beijing Ruida

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China/July 11, 2017/Source: http://www.4-traders.com

China Distance Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: DL) (‘CDEL’, or the ‘Company’), a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China, today announced that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire 40% equity interest in Beijing Ruida Chengtai Education Technology Co., Ltd. (‘Beijing Ruida’), a leading provider of exam preparation services for participants in China’s national judicial examination, for a total consideration of RMB192 million ($28.3 million), subject to adjustments under certain pre-agreed conditions. In addition, CDEL has the right, at its option, to further increase its equity interest in Beijing Ruida up to 60% before April 2019 under certain pre-agreed conditions. The acquisition of 40% equity interest in Beijing Ruida is an all-cash transaction, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017.

Mr. Zhengdong Zhu, Chairman and CEO of CDEL, said, ‘Our investment in Beijing Ruida is ideally aligned with our strategy to build industry-leading comprehensive lifelong education verticals. With this investment we immediately strengthen our legal education vertical by adding a prominent national judicial exam preparation provider to our portfolio of education services.’ Mr. Zhu added, ‘Beijing Ruida has enjoyed impressive growth since being launched last year due to its highly acclaimed instructors, best-of-breed educational content, and innovative new media marketing strategy. We welcome the Beijing Ruida team to the CDEL platform.’

Mr. Fengke Liu, Founder and Chairman of Beijing Ruida, said, ‘We are delighted to have CDEL as our strategic investor. CDEL and Beijing Ruida share the common goal of providing high-quality education services to help professionals advance in their careers. We believe our focus on delivering high-quality educational content and services for participants in China’s national judicial examination will further complement CDEL’s broad array of industry-leading exam preparation services.’

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but instead are predictions about future events. Future events are inherently uncertain, and our forward-looking statements may turn out to be incorrect. The Company may not realize the anticipated benefits of the investment in Beijing Ruida. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by law.

About Beijing Ruida

Founded in 2016, Beijing Ruida was established by eight highly acclaimed instructors in China’s legal education industry. Beijing Ruida provides exam preparation services and products, including proprietary books and reference materials, for participants in China’s national judicial examination. Beijing Ruida delivers services and products at six campuses in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen) as well as through its online platform and a nationwide network of education partners.

About China Distance Education Holdings Limited

China Distance Education Holdings Limited is a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China. The courses offered by the Company through its websites are designed to help professionals seeking to obtain and maintain professional licenses and to enhance their job skills through our professional development courses in China in the areas of accounting, healthcare, engineering & construction, and other industries. The Company also offers professional education courses for participants in the national judicial examination, online test preparation courses for self-taught learners pursuing higher education diplomas or degrees, test preparation courses for university students intending to take the nationwide graduate school entrance exam, practical accounting training courses for college students and working professionals, as well as online language courses and third-party developed online courses. In addition, the Company provides business services to corporate clients, including but not limited to tax advisory and accounting outsourcing services. For further information, please visit http://ir.cdeledu.com

Source:

http://www.4-traders.com/CHINA-DISTANCE-EDUCATION-3860988/news/China-Distance-Education-Hldgs-CDEL-Announces-Strategic-Investment-in-Beijing-Ruida-24725738/

 

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China Online Education industry expected to grow to 241.6 million in 2021

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China/ July 4, 2017/Source: http://www.marketwatch.com

China’s online education industry has expanded at a rate of around 20% in recent years, with the market worth of RMB150.7 billion in 2016, a year-on-year growth of 23%.

Meanwhile, user scale also increased rapidly, reaching 89.27 million in the same period, a 21.9% rise from a year ago.

Propelled by favorable policies and capital inflows, the Chinese online education market and user scale will maintain a rapid growth rate, hitting an estimated RMB421.6 billion and 241.6 million in 2021, respectively.

Despite a high concentration of online education in PC, mobile-client has the advantage of enabling users to maximize fragmented time to learn, while PC cannot allow users to study in any place and at any time.

It is expected the Chinese K12 online education market will grow at a pace of over 30% over the next five years, reaching RMB82.31 billion in 2021.

Due to environmental protection and supply-side reform in the coal industry, the output of coal-based activated carbon will decline, while that of wood-based and coconut shell-based activated carbons will rise steadily.

Online education industry in China was characterized by and showed the trends as follows in 2016:

1. Steady growth in market size and user scale
China’s online education industry has expanded at a rate of around 20% in recent years, with the market worth of RMB150.7 billion in 2016, a year-on-year growth of 23%. Meanwhile, user scale also increased rapidly, reaching 89.27 million in the same period, a 21.9% rise from a year ago.

Propelled by favorable policies and capital inflows, the Chinese online education market and user scale will maintain a rapid growth rate, hitting an estimated RMB421.6 billion and 241.6 million in 2021, respectively.

2. Industry development driven by capital injection
More governmental spending on education, accelerated revision of the laws on private education and supporting policies, and introduction of relevant policies create broad space for the development of online education in China and attract the attention of capital market. In 2016, there were a total of 140 domestic online education investment programs with aggregate amount of more than RMB14.886 billion, including 32 ones each worth of over RMB100 million.

3. Shift from PC to Mobile Client
Despite a high concentration of online education in PC, mobile-client has the advantage of enabling users to maximize fragmented time to learn, while PC cannot allow users to study in any place and at any time. Meanwhile, 95.1% of Chinese internet users are mobile netizens, meaning that people’s living habits are growingly based on mobile client, which provides a foundation for mobile online education. Hence, driven by changes in user demand and living habits, domestic online education is shifting from PC to mobile client.

4. Huge development potential of K12 online education market
As the younger generation (post-80s and 90s) become parents, they have higher requirements on education for children and spend more on education; as the two-child policy is implemented, the number of children in K12-education age group will increase steadily and market demand will further expand. It is expected the Chinese K12 online education market will grow at a pace of over 30% over the next five years, reaching RMB82.31 billion in 2021.

In addition, among 32 programs each with a total amount of more than RMB100 million in online education industry in China in 2016, 15 ones involved K12 online education, making up 46.7%. The flow of capital clearly shows the development potential of K12 online education market.

China Online Education Industry Report, 2016-2021 highlights the following:
Education industry in China (spending on education, various kinds of schools and students, private education);
Online education in China (development course, environment, status quo, market size, user scale, financing, and development trends);
Online education market segments in China (enterprise E-learning, online higher curricula education, online vocational education, K12 online education, and online language education).

Source:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-online-education-industry-expected-to-grow-to-2416-million-in-2021-2017-07-03

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