Transforming education: the power of ICT policies - Commonwealth ...
Transforming education: the power of ICT policies - Commonwealth ...
Transforming education: the power of ICT policies - Commonwealth ...
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Monitoring and Evaluation<br />
The <strong>ICT</strong> in Education Policy and Implementation Plan both make extensive reference to <strong>the</strong> value <strong>of</strong> continuous<br />
monitoring and evaluation in order to improve impact. As shown earlier, <strong>the</strong> <strong>ICT</strong> for Education Policy includes M&E<br />
as one <strong>of</strong> its 12 priority areas and recognizes that <strong>the</strong> implementation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> policy requires systematic Monitoring<br />
& Evaluation (M&E) by all stakeholders. It suggests that <strong>the</strong> purpose <strong>of</strong> M&E will be to research and develop<br />
<strong>ICT</strong> integration; learn from past experiences; improve implementation and service delivery; assess and allocate<br />
resources; enable <strong>the</strong> MINEDUC to coordinate all activities and be accountable to key stakeholders<br />
Similarly, <strong>the</strong> Implementation Plan indicates that <strong>the</strong> two major goals for introducing a monitoring process will<br />
be to monitor progress <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>ICT</strong> in Education and ODeL Department activities and to enable partnerships by<br />
providing tools to agree on, track and adjust objectives and processes.<br />
The Plan commits <strong>the</strong> <strong>ICT</strong> in Education and ODeL Department to <strong>the</strong> provision <strong>of</strong> periodic reports on <strong>the</strong> progress<br />
<strong>of</strong> activities and fi nancial statements to MINEDUC. The department will also produce regular donor updates and an<br />
annual report for MINEDUC and donors.<br />
It will seek to involve all relevant stakeholders in <strong>the</strong> setting <strong>of</strong> indicators and <strong>the</strong> monitoring process, and ensure<br />
<strong>the</strong>y are committed to its goals.<br />
Indicators for <strong>the</strong> monitoring <strong>of</strong> activities will be developed at two levels. Quantitative and qualtitative indicators<br />
will be developed to measure access to <strong>ICT</strong> in Education and <strong>the</strong> impact on <strong>education</strong> quality. However, <strong>the</strong> fi veyear<br />
period covered by this Implementation Plan is ra<strong>the</strong>r too limited for direct measurement <strong>of</strong> impact <strong>of</strong> <strong>ICT</strong> on<br />
<strong>education</strong> quality. Baseline indicators will <strong>the</strong>refore have to be carried through to a subsequent plan for precise<br />
results (MINEDUC, 2009).<br />
Evaluation <strong>of</strong> Activities and Programmes<br />
At this stage, <strong>the</strong> MINEDUC and GoR policy documents refer to <strong>the</strong>ir commitment to integrate Monitoring and<br />
Evaluation in <strong>the</strong>ir programmes, activities as well as institutional arrangements.<br />
These evaluation activities will include:<br />
apple The <strong>ICT</strong> in Education and ODeL Department carrying out regular evaluation <strong>of</strong> its activities and programmes in<br />
order to ensure that <strong>the</strong>y are adequate and have attained <strong>the</strong> set targets.<br />
apple Situation analyses to be conducted prior to <strong>the</strong> implementation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> activities and programmes in order to<br />
establish a baseline.<br />
apple Programme plans will be reviewed on a quarterly basis to determine whe<strong>the</strong>r priorities should be adjusted.<br />
apple Long-term programmes will be reviewed at mid-course to ensure <strong>the</strong>y are delivering results, in line with <strong>the</strong><br />
Strategic Plan objectives and targets.<br />
apple At <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> partnership agreements and before renewing Memoranda <strong>of</strong> Understanding, <strong>the</strong> programmes or<br />
projects that have ended will be evaluated to determine if <strong>the</strong> original objectives have been attained, and if not<br />
decide on <strong>the</strong> next steps to be taken.<br />
apple With reference to specifi c evaluation <strong>of</strong> teacher training and learner skills, competency standards will be<br />
developed. Grade-level performance <strong>of</strong> learners will be measured, and teacher training evaluation will be<br />
based on <strong>the</strong> <strong>ICT</strong> Competency Standards for Teachers developed for UNESCO by a group <strong>of</strong> experts from <strong>the</strong><br />
public and private sectors.<br />
apple Strong monitoring and evaluation schemes will be designed to ensure that all <strong>ICT</strong> in Education programmes<br />
and projects in <strong>the</strong> above fi elds are functioning at <strong>the</strong>ir utmost potential and to track and adjust objectives<br />
and processes.<br />
188 | <strong>Transforming</strong> Education: The Power <strong>of</strong> <strong>ICT</strong> Policies