ICT PROGRAMS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Educational ICT programs in Developing Countries

Educational ICT programs in Developing Countries

Introduction

Technology usage in education use is rapidly spreading to the developing world, bringing connectivity to individuals and groups and promoting the creation, maintenance, and transformation of communities on a global scale. But if in the developed world the Technology usage in education sector in the developing world complements or is slowly replacing other telecommunication media—such as telegraph, traditional mail, fax, and local or longdistance telephone—in the developing world, access to the Technology usage in education sector in the developing world provides possibilities for communication among peoples who previously could not contact others who were distant from them. Because of the absence, scarcity, inefficiency, or unaffordability of traditional communication services, the Technology usage in education sector in the developing world is rapidly transforming communities in the developing world by connecting them with the rest of the world. The Technology usage in education sector in the developing world offers such communities a powerful, rapid, and relatively cheap communication medium, which reinforces, transforms, and expands them in unprecedented ways.

Literature Review

According to Bagchi in 2005, current research on the digital divide falls into three categories: (1) comparisons between individuals (i.e., within a single nation or between countries), (2) investigations of specific technologies, and (3) examinations of changes in the divide (i.e., growth or shrinkage). The digital divide is commonly characterized as limited access to technology based on factors such as race, socioeconomic status, gender, age, geography, and education. It is assumed that these individuals choose to have access to ICT but are unable to because of circumstances beyond their control. However, there are those that either do not see the value in technology or may fear technology and prefer to remain “isolated.” In either instance, the presumed effect is that portions of society are unable to fully participate in the global economy and therefore are likely to have a lower standard of living. The digital divide refers to the disparity between those that have access to information and communication technology (ICT) and those that do not.

Researchers also examine diffusion rates of specific technologies (i.e., telephony, PCs, and wireless) to measure the extent of the digital divide. Studies suggest that the lack of these technologies within certain segments of society quantifies the divide. For example, the limited diffusion of telephony is suggestive of a gap in ICT usage given that dial-up access is seen as a common entry point for the Technology usage in education sector in the developing world. Conversely, the increase in the diffusion of wireless technology may compensate for the shortcoming of telephony access. Wareham, Levy, and Shi recently proposed that data-centric mobile services offer more opportunities to link the disconnected than do the more prevalent voice-based mobile services.

The two contrasting viewpoints associated with changes in the digital divide are (1) suggestions that the gap is a somewhat permanent phenomenon and (2) opinions that the disparity is temporary and its effects ...