The Cheapest Distance Learning

Indonesia with 220 millions inhibitants, 16,000 islands, 6,000 km wide from west point (Aceh) to east point (Papua), a distance learning is the best tool for mass education. But due to poor country, low income, bad telecomunication infrastructure, high telecomunication cost, the distance learning as you see in this picture is almost impossible except for a few affluent people.

I tried to set up a distance learning program with minimum cost, it works between myself in Bandung and my friends in Surabaya, 30 people.

We use Yahoo Messenger for exchanging text and photo (voice, video, webcam are not possible, due to bad and low speed connectivity). We use mobile phone (GSM) for voice exchanging. My friends in Surabaya connected the mobile phone to converter and then to active speakers and the computer to LCD projector.

I have calculated the cost for this simple kind of distance learning (text, picture, voice) with excellent result:
Investment for gadgets for 1 Distance Learning Center (DLC): PC Rp 4,000,000 LCD Projector Rp 8,000,000 Mobile phone: Rp 1,500,000 Converter Rp 175,000 Active speakers Rp 350,000 TOTAL Rp 14,025,000 ~US$ 1,500.

Operation cost for 1 hour training: Connection to internet: 60 minutes x Rp 150/minutes = Rp 9,000. Mobile phone: 60 minutes x Rp 800/minutes = Rp 48,000. TOTAL Rp 57,000/hour ~US$ 7/hour.

More information please contact me: kadar@bdg.centrin.net.id