SURVEY of ICT and Education in Africa
New report detects shift from projects to policies
The use of information and communication technology (ICT) for education in Africa is shifting from a decade of experimentation and pilot projects to a new phase of integrated initiatives directed by government policies and multiple stakeholders. This is one of the key findings of a new summary report based on surveys from 53 African countries.
"Survey of ICT and Education in Africa" also finds a growing emphasis on developing government policy related to ICT. All but a handful of countries surveyed have a national ICT policy in place or under development. And nearly half of the countries have developed an ICT policy that is specific to the education sector. These national and regional policy frameworks are providing a solid foundation for partnerships and donor participation.
The survey was initiated by the Information for Development Program (infoDev), a multi-donor partnership housed at the World Bank. infoDev investigates issues related to the effective and appropriate use of ICT in developing countries. The survey was undertaken in response to needs expressed by international donor and development agencies, private sector organisations, governments and non-governmental organisations for a consolidated database of information focussed on three key questions:
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How are ICT currently being used in the education sector in Africa, and what are the strategies and policies related to this use?
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What are the common challenges and constraints faced by African countries in this area?
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What is actually happening on the ground, and to what extent are donors involved?
THE SURVEY PROCESS
infoDev selected COL to conduct the survey. Following an extensive literature search, researchers prepared reports on each country. These reports included information about:
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National policies, strategies and programmes for the use of ICT in education,
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The current level and types of ICT infrastructure being used in the various education sectors,
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A list of major initiatives underway, and
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Discussion of factors that enable and constrain the use of ICT.
The project managers were Mr. Mike Trucano, Education Specialist with infoDev and Mr. Paul West, COL's Director of Knowledge Management and Information Technology. Project leaders Dr. Glen Farrell of COL and Ms. Shafika Isaacs with Mindset Network in South Africa co-ordinated the research and authored the summary report.
KEY SURVEY FINDINGS
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Adoption of ICT in education in Africa in transition. The past decade was characterised by experimentation in the form of small-scale pilot projects led by NGOs and supported by donors. This appears to be shifting to a new phase of systemic integration directed by national government policies and implementation processes led by multiple stakeholders.
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Priority placed on national ICT policy. Most countries have national ICT policies in place or under development. And many of these policies are specific to the education sector.
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Vast differences in implementation of ICT policies. While most countries have embraced policy development, there are notable disparities in their ability to implement the policies. South Africa, with its more advanced infrastructure and mature economy, is well-positioned to implement its ICT in education agenda. Many of the countries of North Africa have made excellent progress because of the resources and high bandwidth connectivity they have with Europe. Other countries like Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana and Mauritius are moving toward stable economies and are placing a high priority on ICT applications. However, the largest group is made up of countries that are emerging from conflict and authoritarian rule. While they recognise the potential of ICT to improve capacity for social and economic development, quite often internal conflict and political instability impede progress on ICT for education.
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Growing public-private partnerships. There are several examples of partnerships that involve private companies (usually ICT-based), government ministries, educational institutions, donor and development agencies, and civil society organisations working on ICT in education projects. Examples include the Kenya ICT Trust Fund, the Egyptian Education Initiative and the Information Society Partnership for Africa's Development. Bilateral partnerships between ICT organisations and national ministries of education have increased remarkably.
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Increasing digital content development. Recognising the urgent need for digital learning materials relevant to local curricula, national level ministries are beginning to encourage collaborative efforts on a regional basis.
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Growing interest in open source software and operating systems. While interest in Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) is growing rapidly, lack of skilled personnel to support such systems is a constraint.
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More regional initiatives. A wide range of programmes and projects involve one or more African countries. Examples include the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative and SchoolNet Africa.
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Collaboration among universities. There are a number of national research and education networks that enable connectivity among universities, both for collaboration and cost-sharing.
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Improving connectivity. Several initiatives are addressing the fact that Africa has long been disadvantaged by the lack of fast and affordable connectivity with the rest of the globe. The Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) project is focussed on developing an undersea fibre optic cable that will link the countries of East Africa with the rest of the world.
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Rapid growth of wireless networks. Wireless networks, which facilitate access to mobile phone technology and broadband networks, are developing at a rapid rate in most countries.
STILL "TOO LITTLE, TOO EXPENSIVE AND POORLY MANAGED"
The 2006 World Bank Institute survey, "African Tertiary Institution Connectivity Survey" described access to ICT infrastructure at African universities as "too little, too expensive and poorly managed." This report confirms this statement for all parts of educational systems. However, this situation is likely to change due to factors such as the emergence of policy frameworks, the evolution of networks and, perhaps most importantly, the growing commitment to ICT in education on the part of government leaders. The shift from "projects to policies" and the systematic development that this implies would not be possible without the growing commitment to ICT in education on the part of government leaders across the continent.
THE WAY FORWARD
This survey demonstrates that progress in the adoption and diffusion of ICT in education throughout Africa in the early years of the 21st century is remarkable. However, in terms of broad impact on learners, the process is just beginning. The survey provides seven suggestions for moving forward on implementation of ICT in education:
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Monitoring how policies are implemented in selected countries to evaluate processes and learn from their experience.
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Accompany investment in ICT with investment in education and health.
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Develop "total cost of ownership" models backed by good financing models.
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Improve access to ICT infrastructure, affordable connectivity with sufficient bandwidth and a reliable supply of electricity.
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Expand teacher professional development to include computer literacy, adapting learning materials, managing information and awareness of the ethics and dangers inherent in ICT use.
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Encourage Pan-African collaboration in developing digital learning materials to improve quality, relevance and cost-effectiveness.
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Build African leadership capacity in ICT for education.
The Survey of ICT and Education in Africa and individual country reports can be freely accessed and downloaded online through COL and infoDev websites.
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