SURVEY OF ICT AND EDUCATION IN AFRICA - infoDev

nnnnand South Africa, have mechanisms in place to manage and implement policy at that level; states/provinces have their own specific ICT in education policies with appropriate mechanisms for implementationand management.Centralised approachCountries that have adopted a more centralised approach to policy development have opted to create anew agency with a mandate to implement the policy across all sectors. Namibia, Mauritius, Botswana,and Rwanda are examples.Quasi-decentralised approachUganda is an example of a quasi-decentralised approach to policy management: the line ministriesdevelop their sector policies and plans, with their progress and performance being monitored by a centralagency designated by government to ensure implementation of the national plan at the sector level.Ministry of Education roleMore common, however, is the model whereby the Ministry of Education, sometimes in associationwith the ministry responsible for telecommunications, takes responsibility for policy development andimplementation. Typically the ministry will have established an ICT unit, staffed with the necessaryexpertise, to act as the locus of responsibility for managing the implementation of the policy.Varied stakeholder involvementAn important variable in these models is the amount of stakeholder involvement in the process. In someinstances the process is more top down with limited stakeholder involvement. But more often, the sectorpolicy has evolved through an extensive process of discussion with stakeholder groups including civilsociety, educators, private sector, the donor community, intra-ministerial departments, and otherministries of government. In these instances the management model tends to reflect the process of policydevelopment in that stakeholder involvement is maintained through a ministry-led steering committeethat ensures co-ordination and advises the ministry on priorities and implementation strategies—whichmay include agreed-upon implementation roles for stakeholders such as NGOs. Examples are found inKenya, Namibia, and Ghana.Survey of ICT and Education in Africa: A Summary Report Based on 53 Country Surveys