Arab Knowledge Report 2009: Towards Productive

as the implementation of programmes tomonitor the development of e-governmentservices and the modernisation of theframeworks for government operationsthemselves according to the needs ofadministrative reform.Despite the importance of the ICTinfrastructure, cognitive and behaviouralfactors such as user skills, political will, andthe commitment of leaders in the relevantadministrations have more influence one-government initiatives than technologicalfactors. E-government is a means toreengineer the operation of government,and its initiatives are usually designed withthe purpose of integrating and managinginformation in the best fashion. For thisreason, they are resisted by parties thatoppose administrative reform. Factors thatought to strengthen the proper applicationof e-government programmes include(‘Abd al-Ilah al-Diwahji, 2006, in Arabic):• Responsiveness to citizens’ requirementsand readiness to utilise available servicesin the best possible way.• Adoption of stable strategies to solidifythe link between e-governmentprogrammes and initiatives to developthe working of government andadministrative reform.With regard to initiatives aiming to applymethods of e-government, the governmentshould play a facilitating rather thancontrolling role and sponsor partnershipbetween stakeholders–citizens, theprivate sector, and civil society–to spreade-government applications and improvethe offerings available. Improvementinitiatives usually come from users first.This requires the creation of channels toelicit public opinion via surveys, regularconsultations, and many other meanswhose deployment is facilitated by the newtechnology.ICT AND EDUCATIONICT provides many opportunities to raisethe quality of educational materials andprogrammes, as well as their means ofdelivery and development, in addition tobenefits in administering the educationalprocess. Technological inputs now availableinclude, in the first place, hardware andsoftware for word processing, spreadsheets,and the preparation of slideshows andvideo clips as explanatory aids. On a moreadvanced level, they include use of theinternet for direct communication betweenstudents and their teachers, and betweenschools and official bodies concerned withoverseeing educational activities. 22 On ayet more advanced level, it is possible touse smart programmes to produce studymaterials and to make use of virtual realitytechnology to raise the skills of students ata pace suitable to their capacity to absorband in conformity with other educationalprogrammes they are following.Forthcoming telecommunications deviceswill permit access to “asynchronous”educational content via mobile telephonesor personal digital organisers. Here studentswill be able to reach educational materialsat any time and in any place. Students willalso be able to follow in real time lecturesgiven in universities thousands of milesaway. Native language discussion withthe lecturer will become possible thanksto expected advances in the field ofautomated simultaneous translation.Even though there are no absoluteindicators of the success of ICT in theeducation sector, the results of a numberof studies 23 indicate that its use in curriculahas been of benefit in developing studentproblem-solving skills. Teachers’ use of thetools of information has also had positiveeffects on the outputs of the educationalprocess. The Organisation for EconomicCooperation and Development (OECD)countries have developed comprehensivepolicies for use of these technologiesin the education sector in the context ofthe transformation towards knowledgesocieties and the knowledge economy.These policies deal with the introductionof technology into the educationsector along main axes that include theeradication of information illiteracy 24 viacontinuing education for all members ofthe workforce on various levels, provisionE-government is ameans to reengineerthe operation ofgovernment, andits initiatives areusually designedwith the purposeof integratingand managinginformation in thebest fashion. Forthis reason, theyare resisted byparties that opposeadministrative reformINFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES IN THE ARAB COUNTRIES159