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

64 Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning
development organizations to promote universal access to telecommunications
as an integral part of development approaches. If used
wisely, ICT can provide a solution to inequalities, as it can be a source of
digital diversity and opportunity, rather than of division. However, many
of these initiatives have based their activities on narrow and problematic
assumptions about what ‘access’ to ICT means. Most approaches have
seen access as the availability of telephony, and in some cases, physical
access to computers within a certain distance from the home.
In terms of telephony, the situation is complicated because many African
countries have yet to fully operationalize and implement a universal
access programme, particularly for under-served rural areas (Benjamin,
2001; African Connection 2002). The African Connection found that, of
ten countries surveyed, only South Africa had implemented a universal
access plan and not with great success. Algeria, Kenya, Morocco,
Nigeria, and Tanzania were in the planning and strategic development
phases. Uganda (not in the sample for the African Connection study) is
one of the few African countries, together with South Africa, that has a
Universal Service Fund. At the policy level, nationally and internationally,
debates have centred on the most appropriate regulatory system for
ensuring access targets are met. However, in South Africa for example,
significant numbers of people have been connected to the national
telecommunications grid as part of the universal service requirements
of the national telecommunications operator, only to be cut off a few
months later as tariffs increased and usage fees for telephone lines
became unaffordable.
6. Africa, ICT and Development
The situation becomes even more complex when considering computing
technology, effective use of which also requires that people have a basic
level of ICT skills. Many early development projects in the area of ICT set
out to ensure that as many people as possible had a computer within
walking distance, often using telecentres or other means of shared community
access for delivery. However, it is only more recently that studies
into the complexity of access—where access includes use and value of
the technology—have been done. A recent example is a study done by
Bridges.org on real access. This study showed that real access criteria
should include the following categories: physical access, appropriate
technology, affordability, capacity, relevant content, integration into daily
routines, socio-cultural factors, trust, legal and regulatory framework,
local economic environment, macro-economic environment, and political
will (Bridges.org, 2002).