ICT Policy Research Articles

An Information Management Framework for the Support of E-Government in Zimbabwe

It has come as a fact that the use of Information and Communication Technologies has come to stay in this world. It aids the implementation of the emerging and irresistible e-government concept that seems to be the in-thing the world over. Zimbabwe has also joined the world by ascertaining its commitment to e-government as witnessed by its promulgation of various e-government services. However, despite the government of Zimbabwe having committed itself to e-government, it is of concern to note that up to this day, the country is operating without a clear information management policy or strategy that will guide and direct all the information management practitioners in the country. This comes as a great weakness in this day and age when the government of Zimbabwe has declared its intentions to subscribe to the e-government concept both in principle and in practice. Although the country has managed to survive without a clearly defined information policy in the pre e-government era, chances of it rolling out an effective and sustainable e-government policy on the same foundation are very slim, given the importance of well managed information as a pillar of sound e-government. The paper employed document analysis as its methodology in which Zimbabwe National Information and Communication Policy (ICT) Policy Framework of 2005 and the Ministry of Information Communication Technology’s (MICT) Strategic Plan (2010-2014) were reviewed and assessed the extent to which they sufficed to serve as information management frameworks that can support e-governance in Zimbabwe. The study revealed that there are ICT policies that are meant to serve as ICT strategies for the country but none of them has been put to test and such policies are very piecemeal at best as far as their coverage of information management is concerned. The first policy of such nature was the Zimbabwe National Information and Communication Policy (ICT) Policy Framework of 2005 that was developed by the government of Zimbabwe. This was followed by the Ministry of Information Communication Technology’s (MICT) Strategic Plan (2010-2014) which was being led by the then Minister Nelson Chamisa in the Government of National Unity (GNU). Following the dismantling of the GNU, the MICT was also dismantled and a new Ministry known as the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services that was headed by then Minister Webster Shamu came up with a new draft policy to guide ICT in Zimbabwe. Ironically, that new policy did not see the light as the then Minister was relieved of his duties and the new and incumbent Minister; Mr Supa Mandiwanzira came up with a new draft to guide the ICT operations in Zimbabwe. Despite all these developments, it remains of concern to notice that none of these policies ever prioritised information management as a strategic pillar of e-government. It is the argument of these authors that without the country’s e-government strategy being governed by a sound information management policy that will ensure the creation, management, and preservation of information, the concept will suffer the consequences in retrospect, to the detriment of the concept and the citizens. The study further revealed that the present policies are only addressing technical issues such as network and infrastructural issues of information management, yet other important aspects such as preservation, disposal and legal issues of information management are neglected. The study recommends a new framework that is comprehensive in terms of all the facets of information management. The framework covers all the relevant information management players such as archivists, librarians, records managers and the ICT personnel who should work together so as to collectively manage national information that support e-governance which Zimbabwe has just embarked on. The study further recommends that every government department has an information manager and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services should be the one in charge of the information management framework and oversee its implementation.

Analyzing ICT Policy in K-12 Education in Sudan (1990-2016)

The aim of this study of ICT policy in K-12 education in Sudan is to investigate the status of planning for technologyin education and then determine how the advantage of ICT can best serve the educational system and improveeducational outcomes. The study examined two plans for ICT in education, addition to an interview with theeducational planning manager, and information center of federal ministry of general education, and other documentsfrom the ministry of education, as well as recommendations of previous studies which emphasized the need forpolicy to be compatible with other countries may face semi conditions of Sudan, and importance of compatible withUNESCO declarations (Incheon& Qingdao, 2015). The results of this study showed the need for policy emphasis onusing technology in education, K-12 education in Sudan requires better technology equipment, inclusive ICT policyincludes primary and secondary education need to formulate. The study also suggests that evaluation and assessmentare required in order to get more effective solutions and cope with the international educational progress of ICT inK-12 education.

Assessment of the Structure, Conduct, and Performance of the Philippine Telecommunications Industry

Assessment of the Structure, Conduct, and Performance of the Philippine Telecommunications Industry

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS ON THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ON TEACHING AND LEARNING IN KENYAN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Integration of ICT with education is rapidly becoming a crucial issue in modern education policy. Many experts in education agree that when ICT is properly applied in teaching and learning, it contributes infinite benefits in enhancing teaching and learning as well as creating other related ICT opportunities. Actually, this has triggered the industrialized nations in the world to equip their learning institutions with computers and employing professional tutors to assist students become proficient and efficient in technology. ICT in education improves instructional delivery process hence enhancing learners’ participation during teaching and learning process. Developed nations like USA have invested so much on research and publications on ICT related areas for use in their educational institutions. In 1995, the USA government bought more than one million computers to be used in elementary schools and over fifteen million in secondary schools. As reported by Chin and Bergheim (1984), the US government’s fiscal year of 2001 budgeted over $529 million for computer training in schools. In response to the Education Reform Act of 1988, the British government spent over $324 million in sponsoring the use of computers in schools’ management and administration. Britain and United States have been spending so much on ICT in education since then as well as other industrialized states. Developing countries have recently started to embrace ICT through construction of ICT enabled environments equipped with internet connectivity technologies. These ICT technologies facilitate connection of different learning institutions in order to exchange/share learning materials, enhance academic performance in education and improve cultural understanding among different people worldwide. Kenya has the potential of being among the major world market players in ICT by reinforcing her ICT policy in secondary schools through the ministry of education. ICT may act as a: supporting tool during instruction delivery process; management tool for economic development and high technological instrument for development. This research was aimed at exploring the impact of information and communication technology in teaching and learning in Kenyan public secondary schools. Article visualizations:

The Concept of eGovernment: ICT Policy Guidelines for the Policy Makers of Ghana

It is obvious that no government or business operation can be done without some kinds of involvement of ICTs in the process. However, research shows that, the policies and implementation of ICTs in delivering public services face several challenges in different countries due to country level peculiarities and cultures. These challenges are socio-technical from the prospective of soft and hard implications of the eGovernment systems. This paper tries to follow the soft or social issues limiting the efforts in designing and implementing ICT policies in Ghana. We identify some of the challenges in respect of the policy makers and back and front office users of ICT systems. This paper has therefore, elaborated the concept of eGovernment within context of the understanding of the lay ICT policy maker and systems users of Ghana. The issues addressed in this article range from development to the sustainability of eGovernment systems, policies and stages that resonate with norms and culture, political and the administrative style of Ghana.

Using ICT Policy Framework as a Panacea for Economic Recession and Instability in Nigeria

Using ICT Policy Framework as a Panacea for Economic Recession and Instability in Nigeria

THE NOTIONS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND RESEARCH INSTRUCTORS ON THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES ON THE RESEARCH WRITING PROCESS OF THEIR COLLEGE STUDENTS

This is a descriptive study investigating teachers’ view on the impact of digital technologies on the research writing of their students. Using Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) TPCK model as framework, a probe was made on how technology and content are related and how pedagogical strategies in research relates to the use of technology in the classroom. The results reveal that teachers generally viewed the impact of digital technologies as positive but also showed misgivings on some aspects of technology use. The results have significant impact on the ICT policy currently being implemented in most state-run schools in the Philippines.Keywords: digital technologies, teacher perceptions, college research, ICT policy

ICT Capacity Building: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Rwandan Policies from Higher Education Perspective

Abstract With the development of technology in the 21st Century, education systems attempt to integrate technology-based tools to improve experiences in pedagogy and administration. It is becoming increasingly prominent to build human and ICT infrastructure capacities at universities from policy to implementation level. Using a critical discourse analysis, this study investigates the articulation of ICT capacity building strategies from both national and institutional ICT policies in Rwanda, focusing on the higher education. Eleven policy documents were collected and deeply analyzed to understand which claims of ICT capacity building are made. The analysis shows that strategies for building ICT capacities are evidently observed from national level policies and only in two institutional policies (KIST and NUR). Among 25 components of ICT capacity building used, the ones related to human capacity are not plainly described. Additionally, neither national nor institutional policy documents include the creation of financial schemes for students to acquire ICT tools whilst learners are key stakeholders. Although there is some translation of ICT capacity building strategies from national to some institutional policies, planning for motivation and provision of incentives to innovators is not stated in any of the institutional policies and this is a key to effective technology integration.

Assessing e-readiness of the Copperbelt University, Zambia: case study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess e-readiness (preparedness) of the Copperbelt University (CBU) with a view to ascertain the likelihood of the university benefiting from various opportunities unlocked by the adoption and use of ICT in advancing its core mandate of teaching, learning and collaborative research. Design/methodology/approach The study used the network readiness model emanating from the socio-technical theory, which underpins the extended technological enactment framework. Further, it employed a positivist approach and adopted a case study method coupled with methodological triangulation at data collection stage. With a 95 per cent confidence level of a possible sample frame of 2,980, the study sampled 353 respondents with a response rate of 81 per cent. Findings The results show that anticipated ICTs users have not leveraged available ICT infrastructure or are unaware of its existence. Further, quantitative constructs: “accessibility to ICTs” and “requisite ICTs skills” has significant impacts on e-readiness indicators and in integration of ICTs in CBU core business activities. Also, the study argues that institutional ICT policy and working environments reshape users’ perception of ICTs for teaching, learning and research. Research limitations/implications The proposed conceptual framework only accounted for 43 per cent variance of the factors determining e-readiness of CBU. Originality/value Investigating CBU’s e-readiness will enable policy-makers to prioritise interventions needed for transforming the university into an e-ready entity favourably placed to benefit from digital opportunities. Also the emanating conceptual framework is important to theory and practice in integrating ICTs universities business value chains especially in contextually similar environments.

ICT policies, the Mediterranean tradition and the Italian diet of discontinuity

The article investigates the ICT policies of characteristically political instable Italy in the wake of the (dis)continuous flood of government reforms that began in the early 1990s. Using the case of the Italian digital agency, the research amplifies the scope of the current discussions on national e-Government trajectories, providing evidence for the interrelated dynamics between policy outcomes, implementation mechanisms and administrative landscape. The article shows that the discontinuity of Italy’s Digital Agenda is attributable to the merry-go-round nature of governments with divergent views of modernization – resulting in the digital agency’s multiple, even conflicting mandates – and to the misalignment of the ‘original agency model’ with the embedded culture of the public machinery. The article provides illustration of these arguments from the historical institutionalist perspective and maintains that insights into these phenomena are essential for contextualizing and understanding ICT policies.

Effort at Implementing ICT Policy in Basic Schools in Ghana: An Assessment of Available Facilities and Resources for Successful ICT Education within the Atwima Nwabiagya District in Ashanti Region

ABSTRACT : ICT ( Information and Communication Technology) has potential to make educational resources accessible entirely. Therefore, knowledge is not limited to a geographical area and instrumental in offering options for information sharing, archiving , and retrieving. Thus, governments have to prioritize ICT education by supporting schools with materials for teaching and learning. The study aimed to document resources and materials available for teaching and learning of ICT in Atwima Nwabiagya D istrict in Ghana . The study adopted case study design and a mixed method of data collection. In all, a total of 512 were recruited to be part of the study. The study found that the government of Ghana has failed to support schools with the needed resources for teaching and learning of ICT. Schools lack ICT labs, internet connection , and other resources needed to make teaching a success. The current resources available in schools will not make it possible for the country to achieve its objective with making ICT education possible for all children in basic schools in Ghana. Therefore, it is high time the government put in much resource in effort to make this policy a reality. KEY WORD: Information and Communication Technology ; E ducation ; S tudents and T eachers ; R esources S upport ; I mplementation of P olicy . RESUME : “Upaya Pengimplementasian Kebijakan TIK (Teknologi Informasi dan Komunikasi) di Sekolah-sekolah Dasar di Ghana: Sebuah Penilaian terhadap Ketersediaan Fasilitas dan Sumber Daya untuk Keberhasilan Pendidikan TIK di Kabupaten Atwima Nwabiagya di Daerah Ashanti”. TIK memiliki potensi untuk membuat sumber daya pendidikan dapat diakses sepenuhnya. Karena itu, pengetahuan tidak terbatas pada wilayah geografis dan secara instrumental menawarkan pilihan untuk berbagi, mengarsipkan, dan mengunduh informasi. Jadi, pemerintah harus memprioritaskan pendidikan TIK dengan mendukung sekolah menyediakan bahan-bahan untuk mengajar dan belajar. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendokumentasikan sumber daya dan bahan yang tersedia untuk mengajar dan belajar TIK di Kabupaten Atwima Nwabiagya di Ghana. Studi ini mengadopsi desain studi kasus dan metode campuran dalam pengumpulan data. Semuanya, sebanyak 512 orang direkrut untuk menjadi bagian dari penelitian ini. Studi menunjukan bahwa pemerintah Ghana gagal dalam mendukung sekolah dengan sumber daya yang dibutuhkan untuk mengajar dan belajar TIK. Sekolah kekurangan laboratorium TIK, koneksi internet, dan sumber daya lainnya yang dibutuhkan untuk membuat pengajaran sukses. Ketersediaan sumber daya saat ini di sekolah tidak memungkinkan bagi negara mencapai tujuannya untuk menjadikan pendidikan TIK memungkinkan bagi semua anak di sekolah-sekolah dasar di Ghana. Karena itu, sudah saatnya pemerintah memasukan banyak sumber daya dalam upaya menjadikan kebijakan ini menjadi kenyataan. KATA KUNCI : Teknologi Informasi dan Komunikasi; Pendidikan; Murid dan Guru; Sumber Dukungan; Implementasi Kebijakan. About the Authors : Maxwell Peprah Opoku and Eric Badu are the Lecturers at the Centre for Disability Rehabilitation Studies KNUST (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology), Kumasi, Ghana. Beatrice Atim Alupo is a Lecturer at the Institute of Governance, Humanities, and Social Sciences PAU (Pan African University), Soa-Yaounde, Cameroon. Corresponding author is: abizep4@yahoo.com How to cite this article? Opoku, Maxwell Peprah, Eric Badu & Beatrice Atim Alupo. (2016). “Effort at Implementing ICT Policy in Basic Schools in Ghana: An Assessment of Available Facilities and Resources for Successful ICT Education within the Atwima Nwabiagya District in Ashanti Region” in SOSIOHUMANIKA: Jurnal Pendidikan Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan , Vol.9(1) May, pp.183-194. Bandung, Indonesia: Minda Masagi Press and UPI Bandung, ISSN 1979-0112. Chronicle of the article: Accepted (December 1, 2015); Revised (February 15, 2016); and Published (May 20, 2016).

Digital Divide

This paper discussed digital divide, issues and strategies for intervention in Nigerian libraries. It defined digital divide as the gap that exist between countries, within countries, individuals, families and so on in their access and usage of Information Technology facilities such as the internet, computers, laptops, various handheld devices, application software etc. The paper also discussed the causes of digital divide comprising finance, level of education, location of the individual and language as well as discussing the effects of digital divide to encompass inequality in access to information; ineffective services to users, libraries being unable to satisfy their clientele. The paper went further to discuss the present state of ICT facilities adoption and use by Libraries in Nigeria, compared to their equals in developed countries. The paper pointed out that most Nigerian libraries are far from full automation and Internet connectivity; the staff lack technical skills to build and maintain ICT for enhanced service delivery; libraries in rural areas of these developing countries are more neglected as available ICT facilities and internet connections are mostly available and accessible in the urban areas thus, those leaving in the rural areas are cut off from the numerous benefits of ICT. The paper concluded that Digital divide is a menace that affects information availability and access; growth and development in between countries and within countries and has led to inequality in access and use of ICT facilities as such, Nigerian libraries should wake up to their responsibilities by providing the required infrastructure needed to bridge the gap to prevent the escalation of digital divide. The paper finally recommended the formulation and implementation of ICT policy, adequate funding of libraries by those concerned, education and training of human resources to build and maintain ICT facilities, curriculum innovation by library schools so as to inculcate ICT courses for skills acquisitions of the professionals, improvement of maintenance culture and eradication of corruption in the entire system to enable developing countries take advantage of ICT facilities, make progress and move along with modernity and global sophistication.

Digital Transformations?: Gendering the End User in Digital Government Policy

Abstract Digital government strategies espouse user-centric design and citizen participation, but it is unclear how they explicitly address the needs of women, who are significant users of health, social welfare, and aged-care services. This article analyzes how Australia's 2015 Digital Transformations initiative, based on the British Gov.uk program, attends to international benchmarks for gender equality and empowerment in ICT policy. It finds gender awareness absent from construction of a service end user, with disability and ethnicity constituting the markers of sociocultural difference. In response it proposes gender-aware codesign principles for developing more equitable, effective online service delivery.

Digital Transformations?: Gendering the End User in Digital Government Policy

Abstract Digital government strategies espouse user-centric design and citizen participation, but it is unclear how they explicitly address the needs of women, who are significant users of health, social welfare, and aged-care services. This article analyzes how Australia's 2015 Digital Transformations initiative, based on the British Gov.uk program, attends to international benchmarks for gender equality and empowerment in ICT policy. It finds gender awareness absent from construction of a service end user, with disability and ethnicity constituting the markers of sociocultural difference. In response it proposes gender-aware codesign principles for developing more equitable, effective online service delivery.

PARADIGM SHIFT IN OPEN EDUCATION AND E-LEARNING RESOURCES AS TEACHING AND LEARNING IN PHILIPPINES

Education has over the years moved from one stage of development to the other with its peculiarities and challenges. There have also been series of innovations, strategies and policies based on the changes in the society. Some of these changes require technological approach which usually poses challenges because the country, like other developing countries, is ill-prepared and unable to immediately address each educational challenge as it appears. The paradigm shift, general acceptance of the new move or model in global technological education, government policies and massive enrollment for e-education and e-learning by the learners, the attitudes of all concerned in the design and full implementation of ICT and e-learning policies in education should be sustained. Some of the students and even the teachers or facilitators may still prefer the print materials which may limit their knowledge, effectiveness and resourcefulness with time. As a result, there is an increase in demand for a more flexible and cost effective means of education through e-education, e-learning or open and distance learning. This has brought a paradigm shift on how people generally view the significance of e-learning for higher education in Philippines.

Digital literacy and knowledge societies: A grounded theory investigation of sustainable development

With a structurally entrenched digital divide on the one hand, and increasing ubiquity of the Internet in a techno-centric world on the other, the imperative to exploit information and knowledge for development remains a significant driver for equitable growth. It is posited that the silver-bullet for reducing this gap lies in increasing digital literacies within a society in order integrate segments who may be marginalized into the inclusive mainstream. In enabling greater and wider participation of digital citizens in their countries' socio-economic activities, the opportunities of a sustainable economy arise. This article is a study of ICT policies, applications and the resulting transformations in five mature economies committed to the vision of knowledge-based development with high levels of digital participation among their citizens. Specifically, using a multi-dimensional scorecard derived from prior work, we conduct a grounded theory investigation of how the five societies have applied digital literacies in knowledge-intensive public services such as education, healthcare and e-government, to derive best practices as well as lessons learned.

ОСВІТНЯ ПОЛІТИКА ТА ІНФОРМАЦІЙНІ ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ: ЯК ДОСЯГТИ СИСТЕМНОГО ЕФЕКТУ?

The article is devoted to a systematic approach to formation of educational ICT policy at the state and regional level and at the level of educational institution. Key characteristics of educational policy and the role of ICT policies in the process of transformational changes were identified, based on analysis of international experience in the transformation of education systems, policy development tools and recommendations for the use of ICT policy were proposed. The results of testing of the Intel® Education Transformation Policy Tool, developed by Intel®®, were presented. Authors determined the benefits of creating a common platform for the dissemination and implementation of innovation projects for development of the ICT policy.

Tracing translations of ICT policies in higher education

Educational policy enactment is a matter of policy translation. A Latourian sociomaterial perspective is proposed to challenge traditional policy implementation frameworks. We offer analytical tools to trace processes of policy translation in practice settings as entanglements of human agents, material actants and activities. The analytical strategy is deployed in the case of three Colombian higher education institutions working with ICT policies for teacher development. The cases show that agency is distributed among different entities constituting assemblages that enact policies in unexpected pathways. Equally, in all these cases routine activities or unobserved artifacts were key to trace such translations of policies. Our analysis and findings provide a critical review of hermeneutics of policies, one of the dimensions of Stephen Ball´s policy enactment theory. In doing so, a more nuanced understanding of policy enactment is achieved, contributing both theoretically and methodologically in the analysis of education policies in Latin America.

Evaluating ICT Integration in Turkish K-12 Schools through Teachers’ Views

Background:The current study aims to explore ICT integration in Turkish K-12 schools purposively selected as a representation of F@tih and non-F@tih public schools, as well as including a private school.Materials and methods:A convergent mixed methods design was employed with a multiple case strategy as such it will enable to make casewise comparison. The quantitative data was collected through e-capacity measurement scales. Concurrently, the qualitative data was gathered through three open-ended questions.Results:The evaluation results illustrate that a private school outperformed all public schools, including F@tih and non-F@tih schools. However there are some promising results indicating that F@tih project has made some significant inroads into improvement of ICT related school conditions, specifically ICT infrastructure of public schools.Conclusions:Yet, the findings also illustrate that ICT coordination and support, ICT vision and policy and teachers’ ICT training and their ICT use are policy domains that should be addressed and improved in both F@tih and non-F@tih schools. In addition, the qualitative findings showed strong parallelism with the quantitative results and mostly concurred with them.

An Analysis of the Content, Policies and Assessment of ICT Curricula in the Final Years of Secondary Schooling in Australia and Vietnam: A Comparative Educational Study

This paper explores and analyses similarities and differences in ICT curricula, policies, and assessment between the Vietnamese and Australian educational systems for the final years of secondary educational level. It was found that while having a common core set of tendencies, the Australian ICT curricula, policies, and assessments differ markedly from the Vietnamese counterparts. These differences can be explained by economic and cultural factors, national-wide educational trends, ICT strategies, and their degrees of implementation in schools. We found that limited constructivist implementations are used in ICT curricula in both countries, as Australian education has high expectations in national evaluations with an emphasis on standardized tests and Vietnamese education is still entrapped in prescriptive lessons of traditional pedagogy, emphasizing transmission model of information. We found that lack of opportunities in teacher professional development in ICT training is common for both countries. While the Australian educational system still struggles, especially in providing opportunities for learning theoretical and programming aspects, multiple challenging aspects were found in the ICT content and policies of the Vietnamese educational system that call for immediate change and improvement. In this sense, Vietnamese administrators are recommended to extensively follow up their educational strategies and policies, in order to make sure that their reforms are adequately implemented in schools. In order to bridge the gap and implement adequate ICT curricula, rigorous professional training in ICT teaching is essential for both Australian and Vietnamese teachers.