gitrr2002_ch04. 86KB Mar 29 2010 04:59:47 AM

CHAPTER 4

Ten Lesso ns fo r ICT and Educ atio n in the
Develo ping Wo rld
Robert J. Haw kins
World Links for Development Program
The World Bank Institute

T

he skills to productively transform knowledge and information into innovative
products and services will define successful
knowledge economies. Because knowledge and
information have become the most important
currency fo r pro ductivity, c o mpetitiveness, and inc reased wealth
and pro sperity, natio ns have plac ed g reater prio rity o n develo ping their human c apital. Go vernments aro und the wo rld are
thus fo c using o n strateg ies to inc rease ac c ess to and impro ve
the quality o f educ atio n. Dec isio n makers find themselves asking
key questio ns: What defines a quality educ atio n in to day’s

g lo bal info rmatio n- based ec o no my? Has educ atio n kept pac e

with a rapidly c hang ing wo rld? Are there go o d mo dels fo r refo rm
that we c an fo llo w?

A Changed World w ith Unchanged Classrooms
If yo u c o mpared o ur wo rld to day with the wo rld o ne hundred
years ago , yo u wo uld enc o unter amazing advanc es in sc ienc e,
c o mmerc e, health c are, transpo rtatio n, and c o untless o ther
areas. But if yo u were to c o mpare the c lassro o m o f a hundred
years ago with an average c lassro o m to day, yo u wo uld rec o g nize
it immediately: students lined up in ro ws, paper and penc il in
hand; a teac her at the blac kbo ard jo tting do wn impo rtant fac ts;
students furio usly c o pying all that is written and said, expec ting
to memo rize the fac ts and spit them o ut o n an exam. While
muc h has been c hanged by the advanc es o f sc ienc e and tec h-

CHAPTER 4 Ten Lesso ns fo r ICT and Educ atio n in the Develo ping Wo rld

38

no lo g y, educ atio n and the way that students learn and teac hers’

teac h have remained largely unc hanged. Ho wever, in to day’s
info rmatio n and kno wledge- driven wo rld, a who le new set o f
skills is required.

New Skills for the Netw orked World
A relevant educ atio n is mo re impo rtant to day then ever, bec ause
to day’s Netwo rked Wo rld demands a wo rkfo rc e that understands
ho w to use tec hno lo g y as a to o l to inc rease pro duc tivity and
c re ativity.

The se

skills

inc lude

“ info rmatio n

re aso ning , ”

a

pro c ess in whic h reliable so urc es o f info rmatio n are identified,
effec tively ac c essed, understo o d, c o ntextualized, and c o mmunic ated to c o lleag ues. Furthermo re, emplo yers require wo rkers to
have the skills nec essary to c o llabo rate, wo rk in teams, and
share info rmatio n ac ro ss g lo bal netwo rks, that is, to analyze
issues fro m a multidisc iplinary perspec tive.

Bec ause

these

netwo rks are internatio nal, emplo yers seek o ut individuals who
have the c apac ity to effec tively interac t with o thers ac ro ss

c ultures and lang uages. Finally, kno wledge wo rkers need to be

wo rld. In a rec ent survey o f teac hers in develo ping c o untries

flexible

learn quic kly as wo rk enviro nments

c o nduc ted by SRI Internatio nal fo r Wo rld Links, the majo rity o f

c o ntinue to c hange dynamic ally. Wo rkers must learn ho w to

teac hers in Afric an and Latin Americ an c o untries repo rted that

learn, and quic kly ac quire new skills. The skills disc ussed here

the lac k o f adequate hardware and so ftware as well as unreli-

are no t easy to find and, indeed, are a c hallenge to develo p.

ab le

Ho w do natio ns prepare students fo r suc h a wo rld?

c o mputers in instruc tio n. This repo rt reflec ts the fac t that

and able

to

Inte rne t

ac c e ss

we re

sig nific ant

b arrie rs

to

using

many sc ho o ls in develo ping c o untries have a student- teac her

ratio as hig h as 80: 1, and must c o ntend with a c o mputer lab o f

World Links— A M odel for Netw orked Learning
In 1997, the Wo rld Bank initiated the Wo rld Links pro g ram
( www. wo rldbank. o rg / wo rld links) in respo nse to deve lo ping
c o untries’ demand fo r strateg ies to prepare their yo uth to
c o mpete in a wo rld inc reasing ly driven by info rmatio n, tec hno lo g y, and kno wledge. Wo rld Links is o ne o f the mo st inno vative and suc c essful g rant pro g rams initiated by the Wo rld Bank
to assist develo ping c o untries in bridg ing the “ dig ital divide. ”
Its princ ipal c apac ity- building o bjec tive is to pro vide develc o untry

sc ho o ls

and

ministrie s

of

e duc atio n

with

sustainable so lutio ns fo r mo bilizing the nec essary tec hno lo g ies, skills, and educ atio nal reso urc es to prepare students and
teac hers to enter the Netwo rked Wo rld.

co untries1 to bring underprivileged scho o ls into a glo bal scho o l
netwo rk. The netwo rk links tho usands o f students and teachers
aro und the wo rld fo r co llabo rative learning and helps ministries
o f educatio n pilo t and learn fro m this implementatio n o f
Netwo rked Learning in scho o ls. Wo rld Links is bridging the gap
in skills, kno wledge, and educatio nal o ppo rtunities between
students in industrialized and develo ping natio ns, as well as
between rich and po o r students within develo ping co untries.

failure s

of

te c hno lo g y e duc atio n

pro g rams

thro ug ho ut the wo rld and desig ned c usto mized pilo ts fo r eac h
partic ipating c o untry.

One o f the key failures o f many past

pro g rams was that sc ho o ls were pro vided with expensive
equipment but with little o r no suppo rt fo r teac hers’ pro fessio nal develo pment,

natio nal ICT- in- educ atio n

and antiquated telepho ne exc hanges. With this level o f c o nnec tivity, a lab with ten to twenty c o mputers in Ug anda is like a
fire ho se dang ling o ver a thirsty traveler in the desert that
releases o nly dro ps o f water into his parc hed mo uth.

De spite many limitatio ns, sc ho o ls make the se labs wo rk.
Sc ho o ls sque e ze as muc h use as po ssible o ut o f po o r c o nne c tivity thro ug h te c hnic al so lutio ns suc h as sto re - and- fo rward
e - mail, c ac hing We b page s lo c ally, exte nsive use o f CD- ROMs,

po lic ies,

le arne d to manage the ir c lasse s to wo rk with the se limitatio ns.
Many te ac he rs divide the ir c lasse s into g ro ups to allo w so me
stude nts to wo rk o ff- line while o the rs use the c o mpute r to
e ithe r se arc h fo r info rmatio n, input info rmatio n, o r c re ate
info rmatio n fo r a pro je c t. Fo r instanc e, in Ghana, Edward
Te tte h

fro m

Ac c ra

Ac ade my

b ring s

his

stude nts

to

the

c o mpute r lab to wo rk o n a c o llabo rative pro je c t fo c use d
on

HIV/ AIDS ( http: / / www. wo rld- links. o rg / aidswe b / te sting /

index. html) . While o ne g ro up o f stude nts re se arc he s the
HIV/ AIDS statistic s fo r Ghana o nline, ano the r g ro up re vie ws e -

In develo ping its pro g ram, Wo rld Links drew lesso ns fro m the
and

dial- up c o nnec tivity, whic h in many c ases runs o ver o ld lines

and pulling We b page s thro ug h e - mail. Te ac he rs have also

Over the past fo ur years, Wo rld Links has wo rked with twenty- o ne

suc c e sse s

luc ky. Mo reo ver, mo st sc ho o ls with c o mputers c an o nly affo rd

or

c o mmunity invo lvement. Sinc e Wo rld Links launc hed its first
pro g ram in Ug anda almo st five years ago , a number o f lesso ns
reg arding the c o nstraints, as well as the po tential o f integ rating tec hno lo g y into educ atio n in the develo ping wo rld,
have been learned. While getting sc ho o ls wired to the Internet
is the first step, a who le ho st o f o ther fac to rs need to be
c o nsidered, rang ing fro m teac her training to assessment to
sustainability. The fo llo wing are ten lesso ns that Wo rld Links
has learned in its effo rts to help develo ping c o untries span the
kno wledge divide.

mail me ssage s fro m partne r sc ho o ls in So uth Afric a, Zimbabwe,
the Unite d State s, and Ug anda, and ye t a third g ro up be g ins
to write a re spo nse to o ne o f the partne r sc ho o ls in So uth
Afric a. While Edward manage s his c lass c re ative ly to e nsure
that all stude nts are o n task and have so me ac c e ss to the
c o mpute r, Edward and his stude nts are in the mino rity in his
co untry. The small number o f students who to uch a co mputer in
his classro o m and his scho o l is indicative o f a greater challenge— info rmatio n and co mputer techno lo gy needs to beco me
mo re readily available to a larger number o f students and
te ac he rs.

Existing

c o mpute r

te c hno lo g y

is

still

no t

appro priate in terms o f co mplexity and co st fo r a scho o l
enviro nment— particularly in a develo ping co untry. Cheaper,
easier- to - use techno lo gy must be develo ped and implemented in
scho o ls to allo w fo r greater use amo ng students and teachers.

Lesson #2: Technical support cannot be overlooked
Getting c o mputers into sc ho o ls is relatively easy; keeping them

Lesson #1: Computer labs in developing countries take
time and money, but they w ork
Establishing a wo rking c o mputer lab and a reliable c o nnec tio n
to the Internet remains a dream fo r mo st sc ho o ls aro und the

wo rking is a g reater c hallenge. A myriad o f pro blems rang ing
fro m elec tric al spikes, to viruses, dust, heat, and no rmal wearand- tear c an bring ac tivity in a develo ping c o untry c o mputer
lab to a sc reec hing halt. Mo st sc ho o ls lac k the funds fo r a full-

39
CHAPTER 4 Ten Lesso ns fo r ICT and Educ atio n in the Develo ping Wo rld

o ping

ten to twenty c o mputers fo r the entire sc ho o l— if they are

time c o mputer tec hnic ian, and when o ne is hired and trained,

wo rk mo re c lo sely with telec o mmunic atio ns pro viders to sho w

he is o ften lured away to a mo re luc rative jo b elsewhe re,

them the benefits o f pro viding subsidized ac c ess fo r educ atio n.

leaving the sc ho o l to start the searc h o ver ag ain. Mo reo ver,

In the lo ng run, it makes go o d business sense as we ll fo r the

mo st ministries o f educ atio n are ill equipped to effec tively

c o mpanies as they build their future user base, po tentially

servic e a large number o f sc ho o ls. Mo st sc ho o ls are therefo re

reac h parents thro ug h students, and ac c rue the public relatio ns

left with very little tec hnic al suppo rt when inevitable tec hnic al

benefits o f pro viding a so c ial servic e.

g litc hes arise.

Ho wever,

a few inno vative

so lutio ns have

emerged in c o untries aro und the wo rld. One so lutio n is to g ive

Emerg ing wireless tec hno lo g ies is ano ther reg ulato ry area that

students mo re respo nsibility fo r maintaining the labs. Many

needs attentio n. Bec ause reliable fixed line c o nnec tivity is still

students are as o r mo re adept with the tec hno lo g y than the

mo stly limited to o nly urban areas in develo ping c o untries,

“ pro fessio nal” tec hnic ians who are o ften hired. An example o f

wireless o ptio ns are attrac tive to rural and peri- urban c o mmu-

suc h a pro g ram is the “ Kids o n the Blo c k” initiative in Namibia,

nities.

in whic h Sc ho o lnet Namibia wo rks with yo uth to pro vide them

bec o me mo re ubiquito us, ho wever, go vernments need to eval-

with the tec hnic al training nec essary to refurbish, install, and

uate their spec trum allo c atio n and lic ensing po lic ies to ensure

maintain the sc ho o l c o mputer labs. Pro viding students with

that satellite c o nnec tivity o ptio ns allo w fo r a bro ad range o f

so me basic training and a who le lo t o f trust c an save a sc ho o l

c ho ic es fo r the c o nnec tio n o f underserved areas o f the c o untry.

As wireless tec hno lo g ies c o ntinue

to

develo p and

and a sc ho o l system time and mo ney. Other so lutio ns, ho wever,
must also be evaluated, suc h as additio nal training fo r tec h-

Lesson #4: Lose the w ires

nic al

Wo rld Links has fo und that the mo st effec tive tec hno lo g y fo r

staf f

in

sc ho o ls

and

administratio n

o f f ic e s

and

o utso urc ing this tec hnic al suppo rt to private o rg anizatio ns.

c o nnec ting sc ho o ls in develo ping c o untries is wireless. The
telec o mmunic atio ns infrastruc ture is so po o r in many Afric an

CHAPTER 4 Ten Lesso ns fo r ICT and Educ atio n in the Develo ping Wo rld

40

Lesson #3: Noncompetitive telecommunications infrastructure, policies, and regulations impede connectivity and sustainability

bypassing their lo c al fixed line infrastruc ture and establishing

Bec ause mo st develo ping c o untries c harge by the minute even

wireless Internet ac c ess. In Ug anda, there is a telling c ase o f

c o untries, fo r instanc e, that fixed line dial- up c o nnec tivity will
never be a viable so lutio n. Develo ping c o untry sc ho o ls are no w

fo r lo c al c alls, reluc tant princ ipals with tig ht budgets limit the

the sc ho o ls’ evo lutio n to bro ader band Internet c o nnec tivity

amo unt o f time o n the Internet thro ug ho ut the day. Results o f

using wireless so lutio ns. Five o f the o rig inal ten sc ho o ls

the afo rementio ned SRI study do sug gest, ho wever, that when

selec ted to partic ipate in the Wo rld Links pilo t pro jec t in 1997

sc ho o ls o r ministries o f educ atio n invest in hig h speed Internet

c o uld no t use the Internet due to antiquated exc hanges. These

ac c ess, there is an inc rease in satisfac tio n, use, and integ ratio n

sc ho o ls were mo ved to a c ellular telepho ne c o nnec tio n thro ug h

into the c urric ulum. Fo r instanc e, in Mauritania the ministry o f

Celltel, a lo c al c o mpany that do nated o ne ho ur o f free airtime

educ atio n has made a c o mmitment to c o nnec t the six pilo t

per day. This allo wed students to send e- mail o nly, at a speed

sc ho o ls partic ipating in the Wo rld Links pro g ram with dedic ated

o f 9. 5 Kbps. In o rder to o verc o me the defic ienc ies o f the

leased lines pro viding hig h speed ac c ess twenty- fo ur ho urs a

existing fixed line infrastruc ture and the slo w data rates o f the

day, seven days a week. Bec ause these sc ho o ls have fast

c ellular telepho ne link, a number o f sc ho o ls mo ved to a bro ader

c o nnec tivity with subsidized c o sts, o nly a small mino rity o f the

band wireless c o nnec tio n. Makerere Co llege Sc ho o l established

teac hers listed unreliable Internet ac c ess as a majo r barrier and

the first line- o f- sig ht spread spec trum wireless Internet link

the evaluatio n results fo r Mauritania were hig her than any

( this tec hno lo g y has a limited distanc e o f aro und 20 km

o ther Wo rld Links partic ipating c o untry.

bec ause the sender and rec eiver must have a c lear path o r
“ line - o f - sig ht

b e twe e n

the m)

with

a

c apital

o utlay

of

Ministries o f educ atio n c an also make a mo re c o nc erted effo rt

US$1, 500. The c o nnec tio n has wo rked flawlessly, and has g iven

to partner with their lo c al o r natio nal telec o mmunic atio ns

the sc ho o l c o nnec tivity twenty- fo ur ho urs a day, seven days a

c o mpany. Suc h partnerships c an lead to a win- win situatio n in

week.

whic h no t o nly educ atio nal aims are furthered, but also

pro vider, US$250 per mo nth in rec urrent c o sts; this was equiv-

telec o mmunic atio n c o mpany go als— suc h as an expanded user

alent to

base. In Chile, fo r instanc e, the ministry nego tiated a deal with

pro vider fo r the slo w, unreliable, limited Internet ac c ess o ver

the Co mpania de Telec o munic ac io nes de Chile ( CTC) , a pro mi-

the dial- up c o nnec tio n.

The

sc ho o l paid AFSAT,

payments made to

the

lo c al Internet Servic e

the lo c al telec o mmunic atio ns

nent telec o mmunic atio ns firm, to pro vide free Internet c o nnec tivity fo r up to 6, 500 sc ho o ls fo r ten years. In additio n to the

The Wo rld Links pro g ram is no w experimenting with wireless

Internet c o nnec tivity, CTC o ffers the sc ho o ls dig ital o r analo g

satellite o r VSAT ( Very Small Aperture Terminal) tec hno lo g y in

lines and pro vides servic e, an e- mail ac c o unt, Web ho sting up

rural areas in a wireless c o nnec tivity pilo t. If suc c essful, the

to five meg abytes, Web bro wsing and e- mail so ftware, Internet

so lutio n will be replic ated in o ther rural areas thro ug ho ut

blo c king so ftware, installatio n, and tec hnic al assistanc e— all

Afric a and elsewhere. With the assistanc e o f a do natio n fro m

free o f c harge. Go vernments need to fo llo w this example and

Ug anda will be c o nnec ted with satellite- pro vided Internet

Lesson #6: Private-public sector partnerships are
essential

c o nnec tivity, teac hers and students will be trained in use o f the

A ministry o f educ atio n c anno t take o n the task o f equipping

equipment, and the results o f the pilo t will be mo nito red and

sc ho o ls alo ne. It is simply to o big a jo b. Go vernments will need

evaluated to determine the tec hnic al and financ ial sustain-

to fo rm strateg ic partnerships if they are to suc c e ed. India

ability o f the satellite so lutio n. Thus far, the pilo t has pro vided

presents a wo nderful example o f an effec tive partnership

a wo nderful learning experienc e. Additio nal funds, fo r instanc e,

between the public and private sec to rs. A number o f states in

were required to fenc e in all o f the satellite dishes to keep

India have implemented a variatio n o f the c o mmunity learning

mo nkeys fro m jumping o n the dishes to eat the c ables.

c enter c o nc ept by partnering with private sec to r c o mputer

the Gates Fo undatio n, fifteen sc ho o ls in the mo st rural areas o f

training c o mpanies. The state go vernment o f Karnataka, fo r

Lesson #5: Get the community involved
financ ing

is o ne

of

the

g reatest

instanc e, has equipped seven hundred sc ho o ls with ICT labs in
c hallenges to

an asto nishing ly fast time frame— o nly fo rty- five days! Ho w

c o nnec ting sc ho o ls in develo ping c o untries to the Internet.

was this feat ac c o mplished? Thro ug h a partnership with NIIT, a

Ho w do es a sc ho o l in a c o untry like Ug anda, with a per c apita

private c o mputer training institute. The Karnataka go vernment

inc o me o f US$310, affo rd US$250 per mo nth fo r an Internet

c o ntrac ted

c o nnec tio n? Part o f the answer is to share the fac ilities and the

c o mputer labs and pro vide an instruc to r fo r tec hnic al training

with NIIT to

equip

and

maintain the

sc ho o l

c o sts with the bro ader c o mmunity. The rural pilo t mentio ned

fo r students during sc ho o l ho urs. In exc hange, the training

abo ve in Ug anda will be used to test a number o f sustainability

institute is c o mpensated with a five- year c o ntrac t fo r pro viding

mo dels fo r sc ho o ls to rec o up the rec urrent c o sts o f Internet

the training , and is allo wed to use the fac ilities after sc ho o l

c o nnec tivity. With fifteen sc ho o ls partic ipating in the pilo t, the

ho urs fo r delivery o f its private training c o urses to the c o mmu-

mo nthly rec urrent c o sts fo r sharing a 256Kps spac e seg ment

nity. The initiative also c reated so me unfo reseen externalities.

c o me to aro und US$400 per sc ho o l, per mo nth. The Wo rld Links

As Ravi Kiran, the manager fo r the pro jec t, indic ated:

pro g ram plans to subsidize half o f this c o st fo r two years, while
the c o mmunities partic ipating in the pilo t will need to pay the
o ther US$200 per mo nth. In o rder to suppo rt these c o sts,
po o rer rural areas that partic ipate in the pilo t will need to
develo p an inno vative plan. So me o f the reso urc es will c o me
fro m a c o mmunity educ atio n tax, and the remaining reso urc es
will be raised by o pening the sc ho o l after sc ho o l ho urs, o n
weekends, and during ho lidays to the c o mmunity to pro vide
training and info rmatio n ac c ess. Wo rld Links has pro vided the
partic ipating pilo t sc ho o ls with a fo rty- ho ur training c o urse o n
the use o f sc ho o ls as c o mmunity learning c enters. The training
helps sc ho o ls identify servic es, market these servic es, staff the
c enter appro priately, and manage the financ es o f the c enter.
This strateg y no t o nly ac c o mplishes the o bjec tive o f spreading
the rec urrent c o sts ac ro ss a larger number o f users, but also
eng ages the c o mmunity in the ac tivities o f the sc ho o l and
pro vides a venue fo r adult and life- lo ng educ atio n.

In so me distric ts, there was no thing befo re we started
this pro jec t. We bro ug ht po wer and telec o mmunic atio ns
servic es to these areas where no ne existed befo re. We
hired 1, 400 trainers, mo stly fro m the lo c al c o mmunities.
We wo uld ride thro ug h to wn with a bullho rn anno unc ing
these jo b o pening s and the peo ple wo uld flo c k to us.
When we dro ve into a c o mmunity to set up the sc ho o l
lab, the kids wo uld run after the truc k and the who le
c o mmunity helped with the

installatio n.

The

who le

c o mpany is very pro ud o f this pro jec t.

The initiative in Karnataka has received high marks thus far fro m
bo th go vernment officials and the private training institutes.

41

Lesson #7: Link ICT and education efforts to broader
education reforms
These examples o f private- public partnerships to equip labs and

Wo rld Links first pilo ted this c o nc ept in Zimbabwe. At the
Bindura- Wo rld Links c o mmunity learning c enter in Zimbabwe,
o ver half o f the “c lients” are adult learners who c o me to rec eive
basic c o mputer literac y training . Ano ther impo rtant user g ro up
fo r this fac ility is the Zimbabwe Open University, where o ver
three hundred students use the c enter to ac c ess their c o urse
material and interac t with pro fesso rs o nline. Finally, appro ximately 70 perc ent o f the users o f this c enter in Zimbabwe are
wo men. The suc c ess o f these pilo ts sug gests that develo ping
c o untries sho uld enc o urage sc ho o ls to o pen up to the c o mmunity as a means o f bridg ing the dig ital divide between urban
and rural areas o f the c o untry, between in- sc ho o l and o ut- o fsc ho o l yo uth and, finally, between g irls’ and bo ys’ ac c ess to
educ atio n.

pro vide c o st- effec tive Internet c o nnec tivity represent very
go o d

mo dels o f

inno vative

public

sec to r leadership,

but

installing the physic al infrastruc ture is the easiest part o f the
battle. While many ministries o f educ atio n aro und the wo rld
have made the c o mmitment to c o mputerize sc ho o ls, fe w have
develo ped c o herent strateg ies to fully integ rate the use o f
c o mputers as pedago g ic al to o ls in the c lassro o m. One o f the
sig nific ant bo ttlenec ks that Wo rld Links has enc o untered is the
lac k o f a c lear po lic y in ministries o f educ atio n with reg ard to
use o f c o mputers in educ atio n. Many ministries o f educ atio n
view c o mputers as a stand- alo ne subjec t requiring a c urric ulum
fo c using o n basic c o mputer literac y skills. While c o mputer
literac y represents a start, the integ ratio n o f c o mputers and the
Internet into the bro ader c urric ulum is where real learning

CHAPTER 4 Ten Lesso ns fo r ICT and Educ atio n in the Develo ping Wo rld

Lac k o f

g ains will be made. Results o f the SRI- Wo rld Links evaluatio n

my students and o ften fro m them. They enjo y it and I take

sho w that teac hers enthusiastic ally eng age in c o llabo rative

pride in it. ” Indeed, the SRI evaluatio n o f Wo rld Links sho ws

pro jec ts and c o nstruc tivist pedago g y, but sc ho o l administrato rs

that as a result o f training , three quarters o f partic ipating

o ffer very little struc tural suppo rt and inc entives to effec tively

teac hers stated that c o mputers and the Internet enabled them

use the tec hno lo g y in the c lassro o m. First, the c urric ulum that

to g reatly impro ve their kno wledge o f a subjec t matter. Over 80

teac hers in mo st develo ping c o untries need to fo llo w is rig id

perc ent o f surveyed teac hers said that their interest and enthu-

and o ve rlo ade d, le aving little time fo r inno vative c lassro o m

siasm fo r teac hing had inc reased g reatly under the Wo rld Links

prac tic e s. Se c o nd, exams re pre se nt the g re ate st inc e ntive fo r

pro g ram— and it is well kno wn ho w impo rtant a mo tivated,

the majo rity o f stude nts and te ac he rs. The c o mmo n vie w is

e nthusiastic

that “ if it’s no t go ing to be te ste d, the n it must no t be impo r-

Teac hers need suppo rt, examples o f go o d prac tic e, and leader-

tant. ” Ministrie s must make a c o mmitme nt to he lping te ac he rs

ship fro m their sc ho o l princ ipal to rec eive the nec essary time

te ac he r is

fo r impro ving

stude nt

e ffe c tive ly inte g rate c o mpute rs and Inte rne t te c hno lo g ie s into

fo r pro fessio nal develo pment, in o rder to

the ir sc ho o ls by alig ning c urric ulums, exams, and inc e ntive s

teac hing and learning in the c lassro o m.

with the e duc atio nal o utc o me s that the y ho pe to

o utc o me s.

truly transfo rm

g ain.

Co mpute rs by the mse lve s bring ve ry little to the le arning

Lesson #9: Technology empow ers girls

pro c e ss— the y are

Linking

A small Muslim g irl fro m Mauritania states, “ We get o ur freedo m

c o mpute rs and the Inte rne t to le arning o bje c tive s is a c hal-

fro m the Internet, sinc e in o ur so c iety g irls are no t allo wed to

o nly to o ls,

like

many o the rs.

le ng ing go al, but is o ne o f the mo st impo rtant that e duc atio n

go wherever we want… the Internet takes us o ut to o ther

po lic y make rs c an ac hie ve.

peo ple, plac es and realities… it is o ur way o f esc aping fro m o ur
c lo sed so c iety. It is vital to us, it g ives us liberty. ”

Lesson #8: Training, training, training
The pro fessio nal develo pment o f teac hers sits at the heart o f

Amo ng internatio nal develo pment prac titio ners, female educ a-

any suc c essful tec hno lo g y and educ atio n pro g ram. Teac hers

tio n is rec o g nized as o ne o f the c ritic al fac to rs in pro mo ting

need no t o nly fo rmal training , but also sustained and o ngo ing

so c ial and ec o no mic develo pment. Fo r instanc e, an educ ated

suppo rt fro m their c o lleag ues to help them learn ho w best to

wo man is mo re pro duc tive at wo rk— studies sug gest that an

integ rate tec hno lo g y into their teac hing . Training must go well

extra year o f sc ho o ling will inc rease a wo man’s future earning s

beyo nd basic c utting - and- pasting . Teac hers need to be able to

by abo ut 15 perc ent, c o mpared to 11 perc ent fo r a man ( UNICEF

transfo rm their c lassro o ms fro m plac es where a static o ne- way

1996) . Also , bec ause wo men are the primary c areg ivers in

flo w o f info rmatio n fro m teac her to student o c c urs, into

develo ping c o untries, it is o ften said that, “ when yo u educ ate

dynamic, student- c entered learning enviro nments in whic h

a wo man, yo u educ ate a who le family. ” While 80 perc ent o f

learners interac t with peers in teams, bo th in their o wn c lass-

g irls attend primary sc ho o l in Mauritania, the g ro ss enro llment

ro o m as well as with virtual c lasses aro und the wo rld thro ug h

rates dro p to o nly 11 perc ent at the sec o ndary sc ho o l level

the Internet.

( Wo rld Bank 1998) . In o ther develo ping c o untries, the statistic s are wo rse. Educ ating g irls, therefo re, is a to p develo pment

CHAPTER 4 Ten Lesso ns fo r ICT and Educ atio n in the Develo ping Wo rld

42

Mo st teac hers, ho wever, are intimidated by tec hno lo g y and are

prio rity. A rec ent Wo rld Links study o n the differential impac t

c o mfo rtable with their o wn teac hing styles. Any teac her-

o f the pro g ram o n bo ys and g irls sho wed that in areas suc h as

training pro g ram sho uld help teac hers see past the tec hno lo g y

ac ademic s and c o mmunic atio n skills, g irls have benefited mo re,

to the pedago g ic al and educ atio nal g ains that use o f the tec h-

while in the area o f tec hno lo g ic al skills, bo ys have benefited

no lo g y will bring to the c lassro o m. Furthermo re, teac hers need

mo re. Mo reo ver, o nc e o nline, g irls appear to do extensive

to be transfo rmed fro m info rmatio n c o nsumers, using the

researc h o n teen- related info rmatio n that is o ften tabo o in

Internet

pro duc ers,

their c ultures, suc h as sexually transmitted diseases, teen preg -

adapting the info rmatio n fo r their partic ular c ultural and

nanc ies, and AIDS and its preventio n. Seventy perc ent o f g irls

educ atio nal reality. So me c o untries have established o nline

in Wo rld Links sc ho o ls in Mauritania, fo r instanc e, emphasize

netwo rks o r c o mmunities- o f- prac tic e, in whic h teac hers share

the fac t that the Internet pro vides freedo m to them as wo men

reso urc es that enhanc e their c urric ulum, get peer reviews o f

sinc e they no lo nger need to limit themselves to the c o ntro lled

lesso n plans they have c reated, and exc hange ideas and go o d

info rmatio n g iven by their so c iety and family. A g irl fro m Ghana

prac tic es with o ther teac hers o f their subjec t.

states, “ Our self- esteem has really impro ved bec ause o f the

to

ac c ess reso urc es,

into

info rmatio n

Wo rld Links pro g ram. No w we c an rub sho ulders with bo ys that
Wo rld Links has fo c used its training o n helping teac hers to use

want to step o n o ur to es. We walk with o ur c hests o ut! Anytime

tec hno lo g y as a to o l, and to transfo rm their c lassro o ms into

we are c o nfro nted with questio ns we feel c o nfident answering ,

interac tive, inquisitive learning enviro nments. Ac c o rding to a

even with o lder peo ple we c o me bo ldly! ”

physic s teac her in Peru, “After the training , I no w learn with

Lesson #10: Technology motivates students and
energizes classrooms

so c iety— fro m go vernments, the private sec to r, c o mmunities,

When sc ho o ls are c o nnec ted to the Internet, teac hers taug ht to

into ac tive learning enviro nments o pen to their c o mmunities;

rethink their teac hing metho ds, and students empo wered to

telec o mmunic atio n and po wer infrastruc ture po lic ies sho uld

use tec hno lo g y, the impac t c an be pro fo und. Teac hers quic kly

fo c us o n sc ho o ls as starting po ints fo r rural transfo rmatio n;

see ho w the use o f c o mputers energ izes the students and makes

teac hers and students must be empo wered to be c reative agents

the c lassro o m a mo re interac tive learning enviro nment. In the

fo r c hange in their sc ho o ls; and leaders must embrac e a visio n

SRI- Wo rld

that will prepare their yo uth fo r to mo rro w’s c hallenges.

Links

e valuatio n,

two - thirds

of

te ac he rs,

do no rs, parents, and students. Sc ho o ls sho uld be transfo rmed

fo r

instanc e, repo rted that the Wo rld Links pro g ram had a “ large o r
g reat impac t” o n students’ attitudes to ward sc ho o ls. One

While the wo rld has fundamentally c hanged o ver the past

teac her in Peru said, “ I learned to break the ro utine o f using the

hundred years and will c o ntinue to do so at an ac c elerating

c halk and the blac kbo ard. Wo rld Links fo rc ed me to make my

pac e, the c lassro o m has no t. But it will, so o n. The issues

c lasses mo re interesting , mo re tang ible— students are mo re

o utlined in this paper are no t unique to develo ping c o untries.

interested and attentive.” Teac hers have also repo rted that

Sc ho o ls aro und the wo rld fac e the same c hallenges and by and

Wo rld Links has helped students develo p c o nfidenc e, a sense o f

large the same lesso ns apply. It is time to c o llec tively c hange

respo nsibility, the ability to wo rk as team members, think

o ur appro ac h to the learning pro c ess, and partic ularly, take

c reatively fo r so lutio ns, and share kno wledge ( Ko zma 2000) . In

advantage o f the po wer o f tec hno lo g y to impro ve learning

a fo c us g ro up o f teac hers in the Palestine Autho rity, the g reatest

o utc o mes, enhanc e ec o no mic

benefit o f the use o f c o mputers and the Wo rld Links training was

c reativity, and realize the dreams o f disadvantaged yo uth in

that it bro ke do wn the barriers between teac hers and students

develo ping c o untries. If to gether we c an beg in this transfo r-

o ppo rtunities, fo ster g reater

in the c lassro o m. As o ne Palestinian teac her stated, “ There is

matio n, sc ho o ls a hundred years fro m no w will sit at the heart

no w a mo re c o lleg ial enviro nment and less hierarc hy— students

o f a learning so c iety and allo w yo uth fro m any c o untry in the

feel c o mfo rtable asking teac hers questio ns and teac hers are less

wo rld— ric h o r po o r— to have the same o ppo rtunities to c reate

intimidated

a better wo rld.

to

seek help

fro m students. ”

Many teac hers,

ho wever, initially feel threatened by the lo ss o f c o ntro l in the
c lassro o m as students, who are usually mo re adept at using

References

tec hno lo g y, c an quic kly ac c ess info rmatio n and c hallenge the

Blo o me, To ny. “ Zimbabwe— The Bindura Internet Learning Center: Mo dest

teac her’s ro le as the so le fo nt o f info rmatio n. Teac hers who

in Size, but Mig hty in Impac t. ” Te chno wlo gia , No vember, 2000.

rec eive pro fessio nal develo pment, ho wever, learn ho w to mo re

.

effec tively manage their c lassro o m and use the tec hno lo g y to

Ko zma, Ro bert. “ Wo rld Links fo r Develo pment: Ac c o mplishments and

c reate a mo re stimulating learning enviro nment. A student in

Challenges. Mo nito ring and Evaluatio n Annual Repo rt 1998–1999. ” SRI

Seneg al no ted that, “ Our teac hers, bec ause o f o ur partic ipatio n

Internatio nal, 1999.

in c o llabo rative pro jec ts and Internet ac c ess, have to do a

Lo c kheed, Marlaine E. “ Impac t Study o f Wo rld Links fo r Develo pment. ”

better jo b. They c arefully prepare their lesso ns befo re c o ming to

Wo rld Bank Internatio nal Evaluatio n Briefs, Oc to ber, 2001.

c lass. We c hallenge them; we are no lo nger passive rec eivers o f
Mc Ghee, Raymo nd and Ro bert Ko zma. “ Wo rld Links fo r Develo pment:
Ac c o mplishments and Challenges. Mo nito ring and Evaluatio n Annual
Repo rt 1999–2000. ” SRI Internatio nal.

Conclusion
While limited in sc o pe bec ause o f the fac t that it is a pilo t,
Wo rld Links has, in five years, sho wn the effec t that a c arefully

UNICEF. “ The State o f the Wo rld’s Children. ” 1996.
.
Wo rld Bank Develo pment Indic ato rs. Wo rld Bank, 1998.

tho ug ht- o ut, integ rated appro ac h to intro duc ing c o mputers and
the Internet into learning enviro nments in develo ping c o untries
c an have o n teac hing and learning . In c o untries where learning
reso urc es are limited and teac hers never dream o f having a fully
sto c ked library, let alo ne the Internet, teac hers and students

Endnotes
1

The twenty- o ne Wo rld Links c o untries inc lude Bo tswana, Brazil,
Burkina Faso , Chile, Co lo mbia, Co sta Ric a, El Salvado r, the Gambia,
Ghana, India, Mauritania, Mo zambique, Palestine Autho rity, Parag uay,

have been intro duc ed to a new wo rld o f learning . As a result,

Peru, Seneg al, So uth Afric a, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Ug anda, and Zimbabwe;

tho se partic ipating in the pilo t have been g reatly empo wered,

the pro g ram is in a preparato ry phase in Cambo dia, Jo rdan, Indo nesia,

and no w believe they c an c o mpete in a g lo bal kno wledge- based
ec o no my bec ause they kno w that their kno wledge, ideas,
c ulture, and passio ns are as valuable as any in the wo rld. In
o rder to mo re effec tively prepare its yo uth to partic ipate in this
Netwo rked Wo rld, g reater c o mmitments and willing ness to share
and ado pt inno vative so lutio ns are needed fro m all aspec ts o f

Lao s, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

43
CHAPTER 4 Ten Lesso ns fo r ICT and Educ atio n in the Develo ping Wo rld

info rmatio n. We analyze and questio n thing s.”