ETV PROGRAM PRODUCTION IN THE IVORY COAST

A primary component of this reform is the intensive utilization of educational television (ETV) in primary schools. This report evaluates the Ivory Coast's system of ETV program production. Plans for broadcast and production output from the ETV Complex in Bouake have been consistently more ambitious than achievements. Comparing planning documents to actual results indicates that the system is presently operating at only 60% efficiency. The long run average production costs are estimated under three different assumptions, one representing the present situation and the others positing efficiency improvements. In any case, the Ivorian project seems relatively expensive when compared with other projects, although the large actual and projected student enrollments reduce the per student costs to reasonable levels. The different stages in the process of program production and the interactions between the three principal actors in the process -- the producer, the printed support materials writer, and the director -- are described in detail. This forms an essential background to the consideration of four key program production issues. The system lacks sufficient organization and planning to ensure that even the most straightforward necessities of program production are accomplished. There has been inadequate training of Ivorians to take over the management and operation of the ETV Complex, planned for 1980. Efforts to set up a feedback and evaluation system have been impeded by the heavy demands of the production schedule. The fourth issue, film versus videotape, is nonproblematic, but is included for the benefit of other LDCs. The authors conclude that the basic ingredients for a good ETV program production system are in place, and now that the initial coverage of the full six grades of primary school is almost complete, more time should be devoted to making improvements in the efficiency with which the system operates before the system is further expanded. A 20-item bibliography of French- and English-language references (1967-76) is included.