Implications for National Policies and Programs
The specific policy implications for this framework would emerge from its application in each national context. However, there are some general policy considerations that can guide policy makers applying it to analyze current situations and crafting development strategies.
Create a Vision
Policy leadership will be the key to any successfully development strategy, particularly if
these efforts are to contribute to economic and social transformation. Successful development
in Finland was guided by a clear vision of how the availability of new technologies could increase economic productivity, improve the quality of life, and enrich the culture. This vision was founded on broad-based consensus among public and private stakeholders and, as a result, it coordinated distributed efforts across sectors to accomplished shared goals. Investment of time and effort to create such a vision at the national or ministerial level will
have huge operational paybacks.
Develop a Plan
Singapore, on the other hand, had a detailed plan for developing the economy and this guided
their long-term efforts. Many countries, including both Singapore and Finland, have national
plans for implementing ICT in education. These master plans describe how ICT can contribute to education reform and improvement and tie it into economic and social development. Typically the plan describes the hardware, software, and networking that will
be implemented in schools, as well as the technical support and technical training for teachers. The national plan should specify measurable goals, authorize and fund specific programs, and projects to advance this vision and provide the resources needed to implement them. To reinforce broader education reform, the technology plan should also describe how technology will be coordinated with changes in curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, teacher professional development, and school restructuring.
Align Policies
To realize the full impact of ICT-based education reform, educational policies and programs
need to be coordinated with those in other ministries, such as economic development, human
resource development, telecommunications, agriculture, and rural and urban development. A
national, cross-ministerial ICT coordinating agency or council can facilitate this policy and programmatic harmonization as well as promote the sharing of knowledge and resources. The
committee should include participants from outside the government, such as business people,
unions, university faculty, members of scientific organizations, and so on, as was the case in
both Singapore and Finland.
Monitor and Evaluate Outcomes
Significant public investments demand a significant return in terms of educational, social, and
economic benefits. National development plans should specify a stepped trajectory of expected outcomes. Measures of both the implementation process and the outcome should be
used to continuously monitor the progress of programs toward goals and provide information
to policymakers that can be used to refine policies and programs and adjust trajectories. In this way, initial policies and programs can be shaped to assure on-going coordination and foster fundamental changes in education, society, and the economy.
ICT and Extreme Poverty
Applications of the above principles to policy formulation aided development in Singapore
and Finland. They can also aid development in countries like Egypt. ICT and ICT-based education reform can play an important part in these developments. However, there are many
countries, primarily those in sub-Saharan Africa, that are much worse off than Egypt and other lower middle-income countries. Because of unfavorable geography, disease, physical
isolation, climate stress, environmental degradation, and lack of capital, these countries are
not in a position to move out of poverty—they are trapped (Sachs, 2005). It is clear that education is an important part of the formula for breaking out of the trap. It is yet unclear if
and how ICT might also be a part of that formula. For the same lack of capital investment,
there are yet few models of ICT applications in extremely poor countries. The poor would benefit from research and new knowledge that applies these important growth factors to address their needs.