" ICT SUPPORT FOR UNIVERSALISATION OF SECONDARY EDUCATION“

Ashish GargAsia Regional Coordinator

Global eSchools and Communities Initiative

27th May 2009 , New Delhi

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Public Spending on Education

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Country Public Spending on Education as % of GDP

Estimated Average Years of Education of Citizens

Gross Enrollment up to Tertiary

Health Budget as

% of GDP

USA 5.9 16-17 93% 6.8

UK 5.5 16-17 93% 6.9

Canada 5.2 16-17 93% 6.9

India 3.7 6-7 62% 1.2

China 2.2 > 9 70% 2.0

Singapore 3.1 >9 87% 1.6

Phillippines

3.2 … 82 % 1.4

Source: World Development Report (2004)

Defining Policy

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“Vision without action is a daydream , action without vision is a nightmare”- Japanese proverb

An effective ICT policy should provide a framework for:what is taught how it is taught why it is taught

ICT policy sets out the rationale for the teaching and learning of ICT and the aims and objectives for ICT use within the ethos and wider frameworks of the school. It gives clear guidance on the types of equipment, programs and measures that need to be in place if the requirements of the policy are to be met. The central aim of the policy is to provide a broad, balanced and challenging range of ICT opportunities for the students to effectively prepare them for a future role in society.

Source : http://schools.becta.org.uk/

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Why do we need a National Policy on ICT •Conveys the message that the government is progressive and intends to pursue the utilisation of ICT in society seriously

•Develop and participate in an "envisioning exercise" - prelude to investment in ICTs in Education

•Will perforce have to provide a linkage with the country's National Education goals and enhance existing education policies and frameworks

•Most ICT pilot programmes fail to mainstream, scale up or sustain because they are not linked to the over- arching, larger educational priorities of the country

•For eg; The IT Action Plan  of the Government of India ( 1998),the Education Policy (1986 and subsequent amendments) and the National Curriculum Framework ( 2005) • Easier and confirmed adoption, if supported by policy and an implementation strategy

•Encourage knowledge creation and knowledge sharing among key stakeholders and community of practitioners through the use of new technology tools , but need the support of strong policy and implementation strategies

•Different stages of development in Asia

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Our background: GeSCI’s Foundation

• It is acknowledged that transitioning successfully to the knowledge society requires investment in education, innovation systems, ICT infrastructure and implementation of those policies that support such a transition.

• A coherent Knowledge Society policy requires collaboration across the relevant ministries, especially between ministries of education, S&T, industry and finance.

• Education ministries are in key role in this development. Therefore GeSCI’s mission is to work together with MoEs empowering their policy making and strategy capacity.

WSIS

UN ICT TaskForce

GeSCI as a Global Programme

Field of our work: Transitioning Education for a Knowledge Society

GeSCI Services– Strategic advice to MoEs and other relevant

actors (e.g. Ministry of S&T) together with building or strengthening strategic capacity of MoEs that leads to successful large-scale deployment and integration of ICTs in their education systems;

– Development of high-quality and relevant “knowledge products and services” such as knowledge tools and research that advances our overall understanding and strengthens the capacity of developing countries to leverage ICTs in education;

– Promoting and facilitating global policy dialogue on ICTs for Education as a way of contributing to the general understanding and development of the knowledge society.

GeSCI’s role in India – process of policy formulation

1. Landscaping of ICT in Education environment 2. Facilitation of an envisioning exercise for creation of a

National Vision for ICTs in Education3. Creation of a national platform to foster ongoing dialogue

and debate on the content and context of national ICT policy4. Creation of Multi Stake holder partnerships with major

stakeholders to work together on common national goals5. Committed to a neutral, transparent ,consultative and

collaborative process 6. Proposed an institutional framework to keep the policy

dynamic and updated with the fast pace of change

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Engagement Model for Policy Development

Lessons learnt ……“Accessing knowledge is key to social & economic development “ 1. Adequate research and outcome mapping on using ICTs in

Education are a tested and authentic mechanism for decision making with regard to ICTs in Education

2. A coherent policy working on all segments of ICT integration in education can drastically reduce wasteful expenditure and costly experimentation

3. Multi Stakeholder Partnerships provide a dynamic perspective to the policy making process as well as the actual policy

4. On-going two way dialogue between communities of practice and the government to enable wider understanding and acceptance of the policy

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Thank you for your time !