Globalization and technological change processes that have
accelerated in tandem over the past fifteen years have created a new
global economy “powered by technology, fueled by information and driven
by knowledge.” The emergence of this new global economy has serious implications for
the nature and purpose of educational institutions. As the half-life of
information continues to shrink and access to information continues to
grow exponentially, schools cannot remain mere venues for the
transmission of a prescribed set of information from teacher to student
over a fixed period of time. Rather, schools must promote “learning to
learn,” : i.e., the acquisition of knowledge and skills that make
possible continuous learning over the lifetime.
“The illiterate of the 21st century,” according to futurist Alvin
Toffler,“will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who
cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
Concerns over educational relevance and quality coexist with the
imperative of expanding educational opportunities to those made most
vulnerable by globalization developing countries in general; low-income
groups, girls and women, and low-skilled workers in particular. Global
changes also put pressure on all groups to constantly acquire and apply
new skills. The International Labour Organization defines the
requirements for education and training in the new global economy simply
as “Basic Education for All”,“CoreWork Skills for All”and “Lifelong
Learning for All”.
Information and communication technologies (ICT) swhich include radio
and television, as well as newer digital technologies such as computers
and the Internet have been touted as potentially powerful enabling
tools for educational change and reform. When used appropriately,
different ICTs are said to help expand access to education, strengthen
the relevance of education to the increasingly digital workplace, and
raise educational quality by, among others, helping make teaching and
learning into an engaging, active process connected to real life.
However, the experience of introducing different ICTs in the
classroom and other educational settings all over the world over the
past several decades suggests that the full realization of the potential
educational benefits of ICTs is not automatic. The effective
integration of ICTs into the educational system is a complex,
multifaceted process that involves not just technology indeed, given
enough initial capital, getting the technology is the easiest part but
also curriculum and pedagogy, institutional readiness, teacher
competencies, and long-term financing, among others.
This primer is intended to help policymakers in developing countries
define a framework for the appropriate and effective use of ICTs in
their educational systems by first providing a brief overview of the
potential benefits of ICT use in education and the ways by which
different ICTs have been used in education thus far. Second, it
addresses the four broad issues in the use of ICTs in
education effectiveness, cost, equity, and sustainability. The primer
concludes with a discussion of five key challenges that policymakers in
developing countries must reckon with when making decisions about the
integration of ICTs in education, namely, educational policy and
planning, infrastructure, capacity building, language and content, and
financing.
