1. Using ICTs To Support Primary Education In Low Income Countries
A joint infoDev – HDNED project, supported by the European Commission

2. Background
Investment in ICT in education has grown steadily over the past decade and its increasing profile and importance are visible in both developed and developing countries.
Despite this known increase, little is known about the effectiveness of investments in ICT in education in promoting education reform in general and in Education for All (EFA) in particular, and there is little hard evidence or consensus on the proper, cost-effective utilization of ICTs in this field.

3. Intent
This three-month (September – November 2004) project aims to create a "knowledge map" of the impact of ICTs in education to date, with particular emphasis on their roles in achieving EFA goals.
In other words, it will seek to identify "what is known about what works (and what doesn't work)", so that this information and knowledge can inform donor design of and support for education projects with technology components.

4. Particular interests
Specifically, this report seeks to investigate the (potential) roles of ICTs on:
Access to education
Quality of education

5. Specific areas of inquiry
The World Bank portfolio to identify and quantify technology components in existing ( ) education projects, as well ask other ICT/education projects, with particular interest in various challenges (operational, strategic, donor-coordination, etc.).
Donor support for education and information technology projects in low income countries.
Research, results, best practice and lessons learned from ICT in education initiatives in OECD and other countries.

6. Deliverables
A “knowledge map” of what is known about the uses and impacts of ICTs in education relevant to low income countries
A “road map” for a larger, EC-supported project to be implemented in the next fiscal cycle

7. Relationship of this project to the Fast Track Initiative
While this project is particularly interested in the needs and challenges of education in countries participating in the FTI, its relevance is not limited to them
This project is not officially part of the work program of the FTI Secretariat, but it is hoped that it will be useful in informing their work

8. Defining ICTs
We are interested in a broad definition of ICTs as their use may benefit education
In other words: Not only computers and the Internet, but radio and TV as well
Training and human capacity related to their use are also of vital interest

9. Our Bias infoDev – Information for Development
We are agnostic about the use of technology in general – we are not a hammer looking for nails!
We are very cognizant of the specific challenges and realities faced by the education sector in LDCs, and how this differs from the OECD

10. The secondary literature
Secondary literature is voluminous
OECD countries -- lots!
LDCs not as rich (but emerging literature from non-OECD countries, especially India, China, South Africa, Thailand, Chile, Philippines, Brazil, Malaysia)
Relevance of OECD experience to LDCs -- not too rich
So--> information overload, lack of synthesized experience, relevance to LDCs

11. Dangers
Simple transferral of lessons learned from OECD to LDCs may not be useful in many cases – and may in fact be counter-productive
severe resource constraints
space for innovation, but not experimentation

12. Existing toolkits
Many good toolkits (synthesizing experience and policy and project implementation recommendations) have been and are being developed
WBI, WB, WBICT
COL, SAIDE
BECTa
UNESCO-Bangkok!!
But many significant gaps remain!!

13. ICT/education Projects in LDCs around the world
Very well mapped in Asia
Mapped to a decent but incomplete extent in Africa
Not as well mapped in western hemisphere Latin America
Eastern Europe not looked at yet
Sidebar: in FTI countries, they exist, but are typically small pilot projects, loosely (if at all coordinated) with other initiatives, often done in conjunction with outside donors and NGOs

14. ICT components in WB education projects
Why look at this?
Commonly held beliefs
Supporting data
Difficulties
Coding/reporting (PADs)
General data issues
Focus on education sector portfolio

15. Monitoring and evaluation relevant to LDCs
Incomplete
Much self-reported, attitudinal
Bias / independence is a real issue
Lack of agreement on indicators (focus on inventoriable indicators -- number of PCs, etc.)

16. Monitoring and evaluation relevant to LDCs (cont’d)
Lot of information on what people intend to do, and why they intend to do it
Less on what/how they did what they did, and the impact
Lots of information emerging on particular tools, of widely varying quality, control groups are real issue, more marketing than independent assessment
Notable studies:
SITES module 2
World Links
Intel Teach To The Future

17. (Emerging areas of particular interest in this study)
Open discussion
(Emerging areas of particular interest in this study)

18. For more information
Kerry McNamara Knowledge Coordinator infoDev kmcnamara [at ] worldbank.org
Michael Trucano Consultant infoDev mtrucano [ at ] worldbank.org