Virtual Organizations in Post-Graduate Education in Egypt

Abstract

New online learning techniques lead to improved ways to investing in larger numbers of people and optimizing the use of resources. Respectively, virtual organizations are gaining grounds in the education sector with its vehicle capable of closing the digital divide and spreading knowledge that can help improve the literacy rate. This article covers the case of the Regional IT Institute (RITI), an institute located in Cairo, Egypt, that specializes in providing quality education in the fields of information and communication technology and management. The institute’s goal is to educate more students while overcoming the challenge of scarce resources, trying to meet the needs of 30% of the population (70 million) enrolled in education programs (Economic News Bulletin). The model used by the institute in delivering its programs is a hybrid model that combines traditional with unconventional techniques, capitalizing on normal class settings as well as advanced information and communication technology tools. In 1985, information technology was prioritized on the national agenda by the government of Egypt, so information technology became one of the building blocks of the development process. Moreover, in 1999, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology was established to accelerate the build up of the nation’s information and communications infrastructure and the creation of a mechanism for knowledge acquisition and dissemination to bridge the gap between “the haves and the have-nots,” both internally and with the developed world.