Experimenting in distance education: The African virtual university (AVU) and the paradox of the World Bank in Kenya—A rejoinder

This rejoinder is in response to criticism against the African Virtual University (AVU), an internet-based education modality, by Amutabi and Oketch [2003. Experimenting in distance education: the African Virtual University (AVU) and the Paradox of World Bank in Kenya. International Journal of Educational Development 23, 57–73]. By closely focusing on AVU “foreignness”, its equity effects, as well as questions about its sustainability, this riposte argues that the origins, developments and modus operandi of the new virtual educational system mirrors that of the state universities in Kenya. The paper concludes by arguing in favor of the theory of isomorphism as a more comprehensive analytical framework for assessing complexities of the development and role of internet-based education in developing countries.