Al-Hikmat College, Agege To Launch/Commission Her ICT Center

Globalization and technological change—processes that have accelerated in tandem over the past fifteen

years—have created a new global economy “powered by technology, fueled by information and

driven by knowledge.”1 The emergence of this new global economy has serious implications for the

nature and purpose of educational institutions. As the half-life of information continues to shrink and

access to information continues to grow exponentially, schools cannot remain mere venues for the

transmission of a prescribed set of information from teacher to student over a fixed period of time.

Rather, schools must promote “learning to learn,” : i.e., the acquisition of knowledge and skills that

make possible continuous learning over the lifetime.2 “The illiterate of the 21st century,” according to

futurist Alvin Toffler,“will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn,

and relearn.”

Concerns over educational relevance and quality coexist with the imperative of expanding educational

opportunities to those made most vulnerable by globalization—developing countries in general;

low-income groups, girls and women, and low-skilled workers in particular. Global changes also put

pressure on all groups to constantly acquire and apply new skills. The International Labour

Organization defines the requirements for education and training in the new global economy simply

as “Basic Education for All”,“Core Work Skills for All” and “Lifelong Learning for All”. 3

Information and communication technologies (ICTs)—which include radio and television, as well as

newer digital technologies such as computers and the Internet—have been touted as potentially powerful

enabling tools for educational change and reform.When used appropriately, different ICTs are

said to help expand access to education, strengthen the relevance of education to the increasingly digital

workplace, and raise educational quality by, among others, helping make teaching and learning

into an engaging, active process connected to real life.

However, the experience of introducing different ICTs in the classroom and other educational settings

all over the world over the past several decades suggests that the full realization of the potential educational

benefits of ICTs is not automatic.The effective integration of ICTs into the educational system

is a complex, multifaceted process that involves not just technology—indeed, given enough initial

capital, getting the technology is the easiest part!—but also curriculum and pedagogy, institutional

readiness, teacher competencies, and long-term financing, among others.

This primer is intended to help policymakers in developing countries define a framework for the

appropriate and effective use of ICTs in their educational systems by first providing a brief overview of

the potential benefits of ICT use in education and the ways by which different ICTs have been used in

education thus far. Second, it addresses the four broad issues in the use of ICTs in education—effectiveness,

cost, equity, and sustainability. The primer concludes with a discussion of five key challenges

that policymakers in developing countries must reckon with when making decisions about the integration

of ICTs in education,namely, educational policy and planning, infrastructure, capacity building,

language and content, and financing.