Commonwealth Secretariat and
Commonwealth Network of IT for Development
Telecommunications for Education and Development
Conclusions and Recommendations of a Commonwealth Workshop
Malta 22nd - 24th May 1997

Context

The information and communication technology (ICT) revolution represents such a fundamental change - no less than changing the engine which drives human society from one based on physical assets to one based on knowledge assets - that no part of any nation, its culture and its social institutions will escape untouched. In this circumstance it is axiomatic that human resource development and ICT are integrally linked and must be developed cooperatively.

The Commonwealth represents a group of nations which hold in common a collective body of knowledge and values based on a shared experience of history and culture; consensus on contemporary views and ideals; and an alignment of aspirations and goals. In essence, this represents a shared body of knowledge that is constantly accumulating. It is in the circulation and exchange of this mutually generated and accepted knowledge, in a spirit of inclusivity, that the Commonwealth maintains its living and evolving identity. Consequently, as a body whose very existence is predicated on knowledge, the Commonwealth must accept the challenge that is posed by the information and communications technologies. The very way that information and knowledge are acquired, maintained and circulated is undergoing a fundamental revolution and the Commonwealth must adapt to these new mechanisms to maintain its leadership role and ensure its survival in this new world.

The evolution of a world-wide information infrastructure presents both opportunities and challenges. Positively, those societies which make full use of this technology can reap enormous benefits through the acquisition and exploitation of knowledge and the opportunities for wealth creation this affords, as they evolve into 'smart communities'. On the negative side, in taking advantage of the benefits of a global information flow, these societies run the risk of their indigenous cultures being eroded. Further, those societies with very limited access are greatly disadvantaged by the lack of opportunity to exploit fully the developmental opportunities offered by ITC. The resulting information and technology and technology gap further widens the disparity between and within countries.

Encapsulating the shared values of one quarter of the world's population, the Commonwealth is uniquely placed to help its members, which are building blocks of the global network, to meet these challenges by closing this gap and by protecting, promoting and enriching their cultures and shared ideals.

The conference recognised the critical role of ITC in development and the imperative of an ITC infrastructure to support education and training. This will confer a number of key benefits including:

1. support for resource-based learning by making information and knowledge suitably available to teachers and learners no matter where they are.
2. the opportunity for students and teachers to share their creativity, including writing and various art forms. This provides both motivation and celebration of local and national history, geography and cultures.
3. the potential for schools to act as community resource centres, bringing world wide knowledge and expertise to local communities, particularly rural areas.
4. the opportunity for teachers to improve their skills through ongoing professional development.

The conference also identified the need for Commonwealth countries to share and review their experience in developing and using this infrastructure. Representatives from the education and telecommunications sectors of large and small states, developing and developed countries, as well as from some of the world' leading communications companies concluded their deliberations with the following recommendations.

Recommendations

1. That the Commonwealth articulate a vision of a shared common wealth of knowledge assets among its member states underpinned by information and communications technology which is a stepping stone towards enhancing civil society.
2. That this vision encompass the goal that everyone living in the Commonwealth, in developed and developing countries small and large, in rural as well as in urban areas, both men and women, young and old and those with special needs, have access to the means of benefiting from this technology for their development and well-being.
3. That the vision also embrace ways of using the technology to safeguard and enrich nations' cultures contributing to global civil society and as a means of exchanging knowledge and resources between Commonwealth member states.
4. That this vision be realised through effective, systematic and continuing collaboration between relevant Commonwealth agencies and institutions, for example, CTU, CBA, COL, COMNET-IT, ComSec and the CTO and support for regional and other collaborations in the Commonwealth.
5. That mechanisms be developed and strengthened at pan-Commonwealth, regional and national levels for the development and coordination of ICT, including setting clear benchmarks and timetable for their achievements.
6. That this collaboration facilitate a pan-Commonwealth programme of activity in the areas of policy development and including the preparation and dissemination of templates for a national integrated cross sectoral ICT strategy.
7. That these templates reflect best practice among member states in all relevant areas including infrastructure development; regulation of telecommunications; protection of personal data and intellectual property rights; the free flow of information; universal service and content creation.
8. That member states develop national and/or regional ICT strategies, whose formation should involve and benefit all sectors of government, the private sector and the community, in consultation with ICT suppliers, giving benefits for social inclusion.
9. That the national and regional strategies should establish networking and monitoring systems and exploit ICT's potential for human development, particularly in areas such as education, health, trade and employment with due regard for the particularities of small states.
10. That an enabling environment for technology development should be created through measures including awareness raising, institutional reform, capacity building and training and opportunities to use and adapt new technologies (for example, the Internet).
11. That these developments should be realised through partnership arrangements based on shared ownership of goals, objectives, costs and benefits.
12. That a culture of technological competence and learning be developed at national and regional levels to empower citizens to be discerning users of ICT and to participate equitably and fully in the society it engenders.
13. That ICT's potential be exploited across the Commonwealth for sharing resources, expertise and more and less successful experiences.
14. That the Commonwealth Secretariat play a constructive role in brokering and catalysing these developments through the concerted and integrated efforts of its relevant divisions.

The conference invites education ministers to adopt these recommendations at the 13th Commonwealth Conference of Education Ministers in Botswana in July 1997 and to forward them for consideration at other fora of policy makers, in particular at CHOGM 1997.

COMMONWEALTH LOOKS TO EXPLOIT ICT'S POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT

By Asif Khan,
Malta

A Commonwealth model to help member nations exploit information communication technology (ICT) for social and economic development has been proposed by a Commonwealth workshop held in the Mediterranean island of Malta.

It will serve as a prototype for an ICT infrastructure, particularly to support education and training, with the Internet and electronic mail facilities forming a key part.

It will bring worldwide knowledge and expertise to teachers and learners alike wherever they maybe. It will particularly benefit communities in rural areas where most of the Commonwealth's billion-plus people live.

A feature of the prototype will be that it will aggregate demand to cut costs i.e. it will be designed in such a way that the infrastructure can be used by all sectors of the economy instead of each developing one of its own. Malta provided an example of this integrated approach.

The workshop, attended by two education ministers among others, identified the need for Commonwealth countries which already have ICT infrastructures in place to bring them up to date. It urged them to share their experience with those yet to acquire the technology.

Model 2

'Telecommunications for education and development' was the theme of the three-day meeting, the first of its kind.

It was arranged by the Commonwealth Secretariat in conjunction with Malta's Ministry of Education and National Culture and the Commonwealth Network of Information and Technology for Development (COMNET-IT) which is based in the island.

COMNET-IT was created to support and develop a Commonwealth information infrastructure through institutional and personal electronic networks and good practice in IT application. It is sponsored by the Secretariat through its developmental arm, the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation.

The workshop was called to discuss the opportunities and challenges countries face in choosing the right ICT infrastructure and to develop a framework for its acquisition through an integrated approach involving the private and public sectors.

It attracted more than 40 participants from 12 Commonwealth countries: Botswana, Britain, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Maldives, Malta, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Tonga and Trinidad and Tobago.

Among those taking part were Dr Gaositwe Chiepe and Dr Christina Amoako-Nuama, ministers of education respectively of Botswana and Ghana.

The Secretariat was represented by Professor Stephen Matlin of Britain, director of its Human Resource Development Division, Dr Lucy Steward from Trinidad and Tobago, a chief programme officer in the division, and Mr Rogers Okot-Uma from Uganda, a Technical training specialist in the Management and Training Services Division which overseas the work of COMNET-IT.

Also attending were Mr Henry Alamango, COMNET-IT executive director, senior education and telecommunications officials, academics and representatives of major telecommunications companies.

The Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and the British Council also took part.

The meeting came on the eve of the three-yearly Commonwealth education ministers conference in Botswana whose theme will be education and technology challenges for the 21st century.

Ministers will be examining ways in which technology can be used to enable countries to realise the goal of education for all and to ensure that their citizens are skilled to take advantage of a changing labour market and a changing world.

The Malta workshop thus laid the ground work for Botswana. It provided an opportunity for officials to learn from technology providers of what was available and at what cost, and for providers to become more aware of the demands and constraints faced by the education sector.

It noted that while advanced nations were already reaping the benefits of technology, most of the Commonwealth's 53 members who were poor nations were lagging behind. The majority of people in such countries did not even have access to the telephone.

Participants in the meeting looked at ways to keep ICT costs down to bring it within reach of every country and the minimum investment required for the infrastructure.

They heard that the education sector had not kept pace with rapidly advancing technology and that education officials and policy makers were often left out of negotiations between countries and technology providers. There was an urgent need to rectify the situation.

"This omission is part of a much larger problem of a rather fragmented approach to development that all countries are attempting to address"' said Prof. Matlin.

He referred to the report of a Commonwealth working group led by Sam Pitroda of India entitled 'Foundation for the Future' which emphasised technology's role in education and training.

"It is imperative that education policy makers and officials participate fully in discussion on technological developments".

Mr Evarist Bartolo, Malta's minister of education and national culture, said ICT was having a dramatic effect on all spheres of life and changing the way people think.

He warned of the dangers of being mesmerised by computer hardware or treating it as a status symbol; it was merely a tool that opened up the road to the future, he said.

Dr Chiepe said her government like many others had long recognised the fact that modern telecommunication infrastructure was essential to development.

Radio and television had for decades been used for distance education. Telecommunication had since improved enormously thanks to modern technology. It was now possible to transmit massive amounts of information around the world within seconds.

She added: "We are convinced that telecommunications in general and the Internet in particular have immense educational value and can significantly contribute to instructional delivery".

The workshop recommended that the Commonwealth should articulate a vision where everyone enjoyed access to technology for their personal development and well-being.

Such a vision should embrace ways of using technology to safeguard and enrich nations' culture and as a means of exchanging knowledge and resources between Commonwealth members.

For the vision to be realised, it urged closer cooperation between the Commonwealth Secretariat and such bodies as COL, the CTO, the CTU, COMNET-IT and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association.

Its conclusions, including the recommendation for a Commonwealth ICT model, will be presented to the Botswana conference at the end of July. - Commonwealth Feature