Technological Infrastructure and Use of ICT in Education in ... - ADEA

Technological Infrastructure and Use of ICT in Education in Africa: an overview
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6. Africa, ICT and Development .............
This section looks at the concept of ICT as a significant contributor to social
and economic development in Africa. This includes an understanding
of the potential advantages of ICT, as well as appreciation for general
disparities in access to ICT between the developed and developing world.
It also touches on some of the initiatives being undertaken to address
this disparity by assisting developing countries in ICT advancement. In
the context of ICT for development, the issue of ICT in education is also
introduced.
The past few decades have shown an increasing recognition globally of
the role of ICT in development efforts (Hewitt de Alcantara, 2001; Marker,
McNamara & Wallace, 2002; ILO, 2001). The 1998 World Development
Report was dedicated to this issue and the 2001 Human Development
Report was entitled ‘Making Use of Technology for Human Development’.
New information and communication technologies offer vast and varied
opportunities for economic growth, better service delivery, improved
health services, and prompt, efficient, globally accessible education.
Some have referred to this trend as the ‘information revolution’. Others
refer to what is called a ‘knowledge economy’, an economy in which
knowledge and ideas, promptly provided, lead to development of
products, economic growth, and hence progress (Castells, 1999, 2001).
The potential advantages of the information revolution have prompted
efforts by governments, the private sector, corporate entities, and nongovernmental
organizations across the globe to support changes in
the nature and reach of information delivery infrastructure. While the
process is being speedily conducted in the developed world, developing
countries’ progress in this regard has been slow for many reasons,
including an unsupportive global economic environment, poverty, and
lack of resources in poor countries. In some instances, there is also
resistance to the transparency of information that ICTs make possible.
Therefore, while it is increasingly apparent that the information revolution
has changed the way in which the world learns, conducts business, or
governs, a compelling divide is emerging between the digital ‘haves’ and
‘have-nots’ (Castells, 1999, 2001). This divide is represented by unevenly
diffused infrastructure and technology between developed and developing
economies and is compounded by the cost of provision of basic tools,
as well as rapid changes in the nature of information technology.
Because of the divide, there have been many efforts by international
6. Africa, ICT and Development