Information and Communication Technology and Education: Potential for Partnerships

Abstract

The Information and Communication Technology and Education: Potential for Partnerships Workshop continued the partnership theme of several ADB Institute workshops that preceded it, including the Public-Private Partnerships in Education workshop conducted in June, 2000 and the Public-Private Partnerships in the Social Sector held in July, 1999. In this workshop, the purpose was to help promote partnerships that facilitate the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance education, with a particular emphasis on improving education in poor communities. The workshop aimed to disseminate information to help narrow the 'digital divide' that presently separates those that have the resources to take advantage of ICT and those who have limited resources to benefit from it. The 'digital divide' is a serious problem that should be urgently addressed by policymakers in the Asia and Pacific region as gaining access to ICT could contribute to improvements in education and accelerate economic development. ICT refers to technologies that process information and provide communication capability. The term can be defined broadly to encompass many of the older technological means of communication such as telephones, radios, televisions, and audio, video, microwave and satellite transmissions. But it is more often used to refer to the newer digital technologies such as microcomputers, compact discs, modems, networks, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, digital video disks, wireless laptop computers, etc. At this workshop, references to ICT would encompass a broader definition given the fact that one of the primary concerns was how technology might be used for improving education in developing countries.