Technological Infrastructure and Use of ICT in Education in ... - ADEA
Technological Infrastructure and Use of ICT in Education in ... - ADEA
Technological Infrastructure and Use of ICT in Education in ... - ADEA
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128 Work<strong>in</strong>g Group on Distance <strong>Education</strong> <strong>and</strong> Open Learn<strong>in</strong>g<br />
for the rich. It was <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
thought that old <strong>ICT</strong> (for<br />
example, radio) was necessarily<br />
the best route to<br />
reach<strong>in</strong>g poor people, while<br />
advanced <strong>ICT</strong>s were only<br />
relevant for the rich.<br />
A provisional budget for<br />
this project is under preparation,<br />
<strong>and</strong> is expected to<br />
total approximately US$3.7<br />
million over its first three<br />
years. In the past, it was<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten the case that <strong>ICT</strong><br />
hardware <strong>and</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tware<br />
were provided on a donation<br />
basis to ‘programmes<br />
<strong>in</strong> need’ with little quality<br />
control or impact analysis.<br />
The BFI will engage experienced<br />
researchers <strong>and</strong><br />
evaluators—both local <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong>ternational—to assess,<br />
from the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g, the<br />
progress <strong>and</strong> impact <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>in</strong>itiative.<br />
Source:<br />
http://literacy.org_ili<br />
<strong>and</strong> Wagner, 2001<br />
cost-effective than textbooks under some circumstances. Generally,<br />
however, research suggests that technology has a greater potential for<br />
improv<strong>in</strong>g effectiveness or exp<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g access than it does for reduc<strong>in</strong>g<br />
unit costs. Therefore, when consider<strong>in</strong>g cost-effectiveness, it is <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
necessary to decide to pay for improved learn<strong>in</strong>g (Puryear, 2002).<br />
Generally, costs are not easy to measure, <strong>and</strong> they very <strong>of</strong>ten depend on<br />
the specific local context. Michaelowa (2001) showed that the relationship<br />
between primary education expenditure <strong>and</strong> educational outcomes is<br />
not straightforward. F<strong>in</strong>ancial resources are much more efficiently used <strong>in</strong><br />
some countries than <strong>in</strong> others. At the higher end <strong>of</strong> education outcomes,<br />
for example, Cameroon clearly predom<strong>in</strong>ates over Côte d'Ivoire, <strong>and</strong> at<br />
the lower end Madagascar <strong>and</strong> Burk<strong>in</strong>o Faso clearly rank above Senegal<br />
<strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> efficiency. These efficiency positions depend on various political,<br />
economic, social, geographical, <strong>and</strong> cultural factors.<br />
13. F<strong>in</strong>ancial Implications<br />
A f<strong>in</strong>al word on cost-related issues <strong>in</strong> <strong>ICT</strong> is that the most useful way to<br />
approach such issues is <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> ‘cost<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> f<strong>in</strong>anc<strong>in</strong>g’ rather than<br />
simply ‘costs’. Costs that are seen as absolute <strong>and</strong> as add-ons are difficult<br />
to justify. Cost<strong>in</strong>g is a different issue, which takes <strong>in</strong>to consideration the<br />
fact that different technology, <strong>and</strong> more importantly, different comb<strong>in</strong>ations<br />
<strong>of</strong> technologies, can be costed across time, across programmes,<br />
<strong>and</strong> even across <strong>in</strong>stitutions, to yield different <strong>and</strong> improved learn<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitutional outcomes. There are also more complex issues than<br />
costs to be considered, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g f<strong>in</strong>anc<strong>in</strong>g, bus<strong>in</strong>ess plans, securities,