Committee Reports::Report - Advisory Group of the Joint Committee on European Affairs::04 February, 2003::Appendix


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Addendum

After the report was drafted the Advisory Group became aware of a project known as the Global eSchools’ Initiative being promoted by a United Nations ICT Task Force. The objective is to mainstream ICT into the community in developing countries. A concept paper explaining the approach is attached in Annex 5. The intention is to have a high profile initiative capable of securing the support of heads of government at the World Summit on the Information Society scheduled for later this year.

It was not possible, in the time available, for the Advisory Group to evaluate the initiative sufficiently to make a recommendation on it. It does seem to have the potential to revolutionise development at a conceptual level. It might also be the type of “bit idea” that could capture the imagination of governments and the private sector both North and South. If the practical obstacles to its implications can be overcome it could provide an enormous stimulus to development by leaping several generations of technological innovation.

But these practical obstacles are not insignificant either and it is only prudent to be realistic about them. For example:

•In many parts of the developing world telecommunications and power infrastructure is non-existent. An ICT initiative would seem to require a level of sophistication in wireless technology that does not yet exist;

•To what extent could children benefit from ICT driven learning if they do not have the fundamentals of literacy and numeracy? Would the money not be better spent on basic education;

•The management of this ICT resource and its maintenance would require significant ongoing commitment and resources from the developed countries.

The Advisory Group is of the view that there is a huge challenge in finding a way to operationalise this concept. This does not mean it cannot be done but the group did not feel confident enough to put it forward as a recommendation.