In the previous chapter, we have outlined some of the financial implications of broadcasting a school-based service. However, as has been made clear throughout this report, a broadcasting service of this nature cannot succeed unless it is supported by a range of non-broadcast strategies. These can be represented graphically as follows:

Click here to see diagram

The above diagram illustrates clearly that this range of strategies needs to function in direct support of the primary activity, which is of course the broadcasting, and will need to be influenced by decisions taken about the most appropriate roles for broadcasting in this area. Both the broadcasting and support strategies, in turn, will influence decisions about the nature of institutional support required.

The remainder of this report is devoted to describing each of the support strategies in greater detail, both in principle and with specific reference to the broadcasting choices outlined in chapter five. We then conclude by presenting a broad quality assurance framework for the service as a whole. Before doing this, however, it is worth outlining briefly the importance of information management to the successful implementation of the support strategies outlined in the following chapters.

Many of the activities we will outline in the remaining chapters of this report depend for the successful implementation on having access to reliable, up-to-date information, compiled with the least possible effort in a wide range of potential combinations. This might include:

• Information on a range of contact people in South Africa, together with indications of their fields of interest and expertise;
•    Information on programmes, including broadcasting schedules, programme synopses, relationships with school curricula, and the information needed to compile detailed support materials;
•    Information on the range of projects and activities being run by the SABC to support the school service; and
•    Information developed or gathered during research, planning, and consultation exercises initiated by the SABC.

Of course, this type of information has always been crucial to the success of projects such as this. However, the rapid growth in functionality of information and communication technologies (ICTs) opens possibilities for building and exploiting information bases in ways that were simply not possible even two or three years ago. In particular, the following developments are worth noting:

1. Developments in the digitization of information of all kinds, whether it be text, graphic, audio, or video.
2. Growing functionality of electronic databases, and particularly allowing people to:

•    Store any kind of information in digital format, with corresponding capacity to run increasingly sophisticated data queries on information once it is organized into a well-designed management information system; and
•    Run data queries - and receive the results of these queries – using HTML-based browsers, whether across the Internet or secure Intranets.

3. Exponential growth in the speed of central processing units and storage capacity of computer hard drives, matched with corresponding reductions in the relative prices of this hardware. These developments contribute significantly to functionality of databases, both in terms of quantity of data storage and speed of manipulation of this data.
4. Rapid developments in cheap electronic communication, more and more aspects of which can increasingly be automated. This is further facilitated by convergence in information and communications technologies, which allows communication such as e-mail or fax to work automatically in tandem with information databases if well designed.

Of course, the above sounds, in many ways, like the marketing jargon of information technology suppliers, elements of which have almost been repeated to the point of cliché. Indeed, such is the speed of communication and effectiveness of information technology marketing that, taken on their own, none of the above points necessarily even sounds particularly innovative, notwithstanding their relative newness as developments.

Nevertheless, hardly any organizations in South African education and training have yet devised strategies for harnessing these trends effectively to the general benefit of education and social development, indicating clearly that their real potential is not yet well understood. Instead, repetition of rhetorical statements about the developmental potential of ICTs soon starts to ring hollow, raising more questions than it answers. We will not open these debates here, as they are not directly relevant to this planning process, nor do they, of themselves, provide meaningful direction to the SABC. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that introducing the notion of an information base is here intended to provide one practical way in which South Africa can seize the opportunity to take practical advantage of the potential of ICTs. This is essential if we are to work towards reversing current trends for the development of ICTs to entrench or widen the gap between developed and developing countries.

A fundamental shift in the value of information is taking place because of the rapid digitization of information and the consequent ease of its dissemination. Historically, information has been regarded as a product, which people were happy to purchase, to the financial benefit of those social structures that controlled and profited from its production and dissemination. While certain types of information will continue to retain value in this traditional way, the vast bulk of information, once it has been developed or collated, now rapidly loses value. Printed catalogues of information become redundant almost as soon as they are printed because this information changes so quickly. Cheaper and easier reproduction and communication of information constantly reduce the time that ‘privileged’ access to information provides strategic advantage. Access to multiple sources of information via the Internet is making it increasingly difficult to identify the source of new ideas, while the rapidity with which new information can be circulated reduces the time for which it can be regarded as ‘new’.

These changes make it essential to find ways to use information quickly in as many different ways as possible before it loses its value. These need to focus on re-using information in different ways without generating significant additional cost. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to establish effective information systems, which can allow for quick and easy manipulation of information once it has been developed or gathered. It is also advisable from this perspective to incur the minor additional cost of breaking links between gathering or compiling information and communicating it. Although this creates some additional costs initially, these can easily be amortized across the range of options that then become possible for communicating this information. For example, the SABC might be interested in compiling monthly programme schedules for the school service, which include information on times and duration of broadcast, language of the programme, programme focuses and synopses, and appropriate grade levels. If this information is compiled with the specific purpose of including an insert in the TV Talk magazine, its quickly becomes limited to one use. If, however, the basic information is compiled first in an electronic database, it can then be used cheaply and easily in many ways: it can be compiled into a TV Talk insert; it can be circulated by e-mail for inclusion in a range of other existing publications; it can be generated into web-based schedule; and it can be automatically circulated via fax and e-mail in individually tailored combinations. In this way, the expense of generating the information can be used much more effectively.

Possibly most importantly, it becomes essential to develop effective strategies for storing information in ways that allow it to be very easily manipulated for future purposes. The above example is again illustrative. If programme information is stored in a database, it then becomes easily available for future applications. For example, the same information can be used to construct catalogues of resources available for purchase from the SABC or it might be used as the basis for a video cassette sleeve. As another example, research work conducted or commissioned by the SABC, if organized and cross-referenced effectively in an electronic database, can quickly and cheaply be made available in digital format to people running new research projects. In this way, research can build on growing knowledge bases, rather than repeating basic work already conducted. This can maximize the value of money spent on new research. It can then also be easily made available via the World Wide Web for access by other researchers in South Africa, thus contributing usefully to developing an effective research base in the country. This has the potential spin-off of developing the country’s international reputation as a producer – and not just a consumer - of information.

Another point emerging from the above discussions is that increasingly value lies not in possessing information, but rather in developing the skills and capacity to manipulate it effectively for new applications. This indicates clearly the importance of developing management information systems that allow for cheap, easy, and logical storage and retrieval of information. From the SABC’s perspective, there is added benefit to creating interfaces to information that enable users to engage with certain types of information themselves with little or no intervention by SABC staff members. This type of service can easily and cheaply add significant value to information bases. The example used above of research information is illustrative here. It has been suggested that research projects conducted or commissioned by the SABC could be stored as a database, cross-referenced using relevant keywords or subject areas. If a simple web interface is added to such a database, it would be possible for researchers to select their own search criteria and extract relevant research information very quickly and at no additional cost to the SABC. This simple search level adds tremendous value as an information service, because it would enable researchers to target only those resources relevant to their research, rather than wading through reams of irrelevant information. It is also very cost-effective, because changes made to the database are reflected automatically via the web interface. The lengthy processes of writing pages in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) are removed, because most pages can be generated automatically from the database This could also be taken a step further. For example, researchers commissioned by the SABC could be contractually obliged to write short assessments of research that they use from this database. This information could then be added to the database, so that other researchers can scan assessments of the value of documentation before reading it in detail.

In responding to the challenges posed above, the SABC can effectively harness the capacity of ICTs to ensure that it builds an effective information base for its school broadcasting service. This base can then form the foundation of the wide range of support activities described in the final chapters of this report and summarized in the table at the end of this chapter. To work effectively, though, financial and human resources will have to be invested in:

•    Establishing the types and combinations of information needed to support the service, target audiences, and the strategies for making this information accessible to all target audiences;
•    Developing an appropriate conceptual framework for a computer-based management information system; and
•    Designing an electronic database architecture that can be used to organize, store, and allow for multiple uses of information.

Information about the entire school service could then be generated, compiled, and kept up to date. The management information system could organize and store information generated during all research, professional development, promotion, and resource development activities conducted, thus maximizing the potential value of these investments. These activities are summarized below, and then described in detail in the remaining chapters of this report. The activities provided in the table often have more than one purpose; for example, many resource development activities also promote the service, while many promotion activities also build professional development networks. Consequently, we have grouped activities into different areas, and then used a grid format to highlight other functions that individual activities might perform.