data lines and a strategy of improving the student-to-computer ratio in each school, as well as providing other ICTrelated equipment.
Software and Content Development: The Ministry of Education has worked with a number of independent Jordanian software developers to prepare e-content for a range of subjects under close supervision by the Ministry’s representatives. This work ran in parallel with the Ministry’s efforts to rewrite its curriculum. During a three-year period, e-content was prepared and released for Science, Math, Civics, ICT, Arabic, English, geography, ICT and management and information science. The Ministry also produced extensive instructional ICT support materials and resources to assist teachers in developing e-content. Network: Currently, the Government plans to create a fibre-optic high-capacity link between all of the nation’s schools and education establishments. This national broadband network will provide high-speed fibre connectivity to public universities and public schools and is expected to substantial increase in human capital development. Currently, more than 82% of all national schools are connected to Internet only via leased lines or ADSL. Technical Support: The Ministry of Education has an ICT Directorate that organizes the provision of technical support for ICT equipment and tools in schools. The ICT Directorate provides schools with technical support, either directly from the Ministry or through private-sector service providers. The Directorate works closely with the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.
Namibia Policy Goals and Vision According to official reports, only a small number of Namibians are achieving senior secondary education and very few complete vocational or tertiary educations. Moreover, the education system to date is not adequately addressing the creation of a knowledge-based economy. The policy considers the growth in ICT sector to be a national imperative that will support economic growth, industrial development, poverty eradication, equal opportunity and regional coordination. Therefore, the purpose of this policy is to prepare all Namibian education stakeholders to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century skills required by a knowledge-based economy. The policy envisages broaden access to quality educational services for all so that all Namibian citizens will become ICT literate and capable of participating in the new economies that emerge from ICT and related developments.
Professional Development The policy identifies a staff training component which encompasses all people involved in the educational system of teachers, lecturers, principals, administrative staff and other stakeholders. According to the nature of their work, this component recognizes that these people require varying levels of training. Teachers are targeted for pre-service and in-service training to build their confidence in ICT, including communicating via email, understanding the value of integrating ICT in learning and teaching. Similarly, principals, advisors and inspectors and administrators are required to develop their confidence in the use of ICT and preferably work towards an ICT qualification. The use of ICT is conceptualized as an ability to search for, retrieve, prepare, and present materials using a computer; communication via email and an understanding of management and administrative ICT systems. At the time when the policy was adopted, there was not yet a clear plan related to ICT and teacher professional development, as such, that considers the systemic integration of ICT. Originally, training was conceived and practiced as a short-term, often one-off learning opportunity focused more on learning about the technologies and less on using them in the practice of teaching, learning and administration. Teacher professional development, as opposed to “training,” is now considered to be a continuous, modular process based on the authentic contexts of teachers and the development of individual learning pathways for teachers.
Using ICT Policy to Transform Education
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