Certificate in ICT in Education for Policy Implementers

Background

It is widely accepted that ICTs, under the right conditions, can play an important role in improving the quality of and access to education. Investment in ICT in education has increased substantially over the past 10 years in both developed and developing countries. These technologies have considerable potential for knowledge growth, information dissemination, effective learning and effective education governance. However, this potential depends on the new technologies serving rather than driving the implementation of education strategies.

Policy implementation is one of the key challenges facing African governments with regard to ICTs in education. For the most part, African nations have put in place or are developing sound policy frameworks for ICT in education. There also numerous projects to develop teachers' skills in eLearning and ICT integration at the level of the classroom. Increasingly, traditional technologies such as books and radios are being complemented by and integrated with modern digital ICTs. However, in the space between policy and classroom activity, there is a crucial need for education ministries to put in place systems that can allow ICT in education to work effectively. Thus, the World Bank, in discussion with Intel, Cisco and Microsoft, identified the need for a capacity building course as a critical intervention to support policy implementers in the field of ICT in education. 

Out of these discussions arose the Certificate in ICT in Education for Policy Implementers. Wits University joined the abovementioned organizations as the implementing partner to offer a blended eLearning course aimed at meeting the needs of policy implementers in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Planning for this initiative took place in a preliminary workshop of representatives from nine African countries in Mauritius in September 2009. In the light of positive feedback from participants and requests from other countries to access the course, the partners have decided to offer the Certificate on an ongoing basis from 2010.