International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B6. Istanbul 2004
4. THE CHALLENGE FOR ITC
4.1 Strategic Plan 2001-2004
Anticipating the changing environment as described in Chapter
3 already for some years, ITC embarked on changing its course
more drastically than ever in the past. Its educational
programmes were adjusted to pay more attention to aspects of
context, i.e. information management, institutional setting and
policy. A modular system was introduced, with all
programmes/specialisations consisting of three weeks modules,
all starting at the same time. This system, which includes
elective modules, allows course participants to select the topics
that best fit their individual professional requirements, while
also allowing participation by others not following an entire
programme.
The strategy was further enhanced in the framework of ITC's
Strategic Plan 2001-2004 (ITC, 2001) by introducing short
courses (10 in 2004 and 34 in 2005!) and distance education.
Another important clement is the embedding into the Dutch
system of Higher Education by enhancing the collaboration
with ITC's partner universities in the Netherlands, i.e.
Universities of Twente, Utrecht, Wageningen and Delft and
having the ITC programmes accredited under the national
applicable system in the Netherlands (Section 3.6).
4.2 Capacity building at ITC
Capacity building at ITC has over the years developed from
human resources development directed at technological
knowledge and skills to gradually incorporate organisational
(information management) and institutional strengthening
capabilities. The educational programmes at ITC address the
various requirements resulting from technological developments
(specifying the steps in the process from data acquisition to
information dissemination) and the context (specifying
information management, institutional setting and policy
issues). Each of ITC's programmes concentrates in different
ways on any of the process and context elements, geared to the
specific human resource requirements of target organisations
(Molenaar, M. and M-J. Kraak 2002).
Data Storage Processing {Dissemination
NS & & &
Context acquisition | — eris presentation Uso
Application domain
Technology
Information management
Inst. setting & policy
A
Figure 3 The processes and context of geo-information
(Molenaar, M. & M.J. Kraak 2002)
These human resources development activities through a
specific educational and training programme have been
complemented with joint research activities and advisory
services.
The distinction between universities and international education
institutes such as ITC boils down that for the former, education
is the goal, whereas for the latter education is a tool towards
building capacity.
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4.3 Joint Educational Partnerships
4.3.1 The principle defined: A major strategy component of
the Strategic Plan 2001-2004 is the decentralisation of (parts) of
ITC's educational programmes to and in collaboration with
qualified partner organisations in other countries. In response to
remarks by partner organisations the term "decentralisation" has
since been replaced by "joint education". This implies a major
shift from “building capacity” to “building on the capacity” that
has been built over the past decades.
These joint educational programmes address the increasing
demand for flexibility and are reckoned to be more cost efficient
and effective. Partnerships are based on:
e Principle: requiring partners to agree to the principle of
equal partnerships, i.e. collaboration not based on donor-
recipient relation but on shared responsibility;
e Market opportunities, requiring a well-defined market for
the type and specialisation of the programme offered;
e. South-to-south relationships; requiring partners to enter
into collaboration and/or offer their services also to
organisations and individuals outside their own
geographical location;
e J[nstitutional and legal aspects; requiring partners to be
eligible in their country/region to organise Joint
educational programmes and to issue academic degrees;
e Capacity and capability; requiring both partners, incl. ITC
to have the capacity and capability to assume responsibility
for carrying out the respective parts of the educational
programme; and
e Funding; requiring agreement on both sides that in
principle partners will be jointly responsible to fund the
joint programmes from their own (subsidy) resources and
external fellowships. In principle there will be no transfer
of funds between partner organisations.
Although principally partners are responsible to ensure funding
of their own part of activities, successful, sustainable
partnerships will require a considerable investment in time and
money. It is foreseen that both ITC and potential partners may
not avail of sufficient own resources to cover the initial
investment expenses involved. For that purpose additional
external project funding will have to be pursued.
At this moment there are six joint programmes operational in
Iran, Bolivia, India, China, Philippines and Egypt. Similar
programmes are being developed in Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana
and South Africa.
Joint Education partnerships: Status
EE ono
Pre-fea Y
A Identification Central and East Europe
£4, UoWH/CoG
To tie identified Hungary
EK
na 25 Iran prs g
E04 TMS/ESA ndi
UNAM Egypt
à Mexico
JA University San Carlos
Guatemala AIT £5
RECTAS Ethiopia Thailand NCPAG
KNUST. Nigeria Philippines
Ghana 4 RCMRD
E Kenya
+ UoD/UCLAS à, UGM
Tanzania Ion
Polytechnic of Namibia
4.4 EMU
WITS/SAESP {di Mozambique
South Africa UKZN/CEAD
South Africa
April 2004
Figure 3. ITC Joint Education Partnerships (April 2004)
