GeSCI has developed a framework and approach that educational policy makers and school administrators can use to inform their choice of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for schools, in a way that ensures that they achieve their educational objectives. The framework advocates for a consideration of some key elements: a focus on educational objectives as the overriding consideration, targeting an end-to-end approach, and considering the benefits, feasibility and total cost of ownership (TCO) of any ICT choice

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become the latest buzzword in the education sector today as schools and ministries of education clamor to equip the kids with ICT skills for today's information age. Millions and even billions of dollars have been spent both in the developing and developed countries to provide computers, Internet access and other hi-tech gadgets to schools. However all these endeavours, while well intentioned, have often been poorly implemented or not realised any of the benefits touted. As such, most computer labs especially in the less developed countries resemble small “museums” with banks of old, non working computers, some schools have good equipment but untrained teachers while other schools have no equipment but have had their teachers trained. These “disconnects” and poor implementations are caused by among other factors:

• A focus on the technology without paying attention to the educational objectives and needs.
• Narrow interpretation of ICTs to mean computers only and forgetting that other ICTs such as radio or TV can be more appropriate and cost effective in some situations
• Failure to consider other vital components of implementing ICTs such as providing user and technical support, providing for maintenance, and providing the right educational content
• And lastly, a failure to consider all of the costs, short term and long term, involved in obtaining and using ICTs.

As a result, ICTs in education are increasingly being criticised in many quarters as aptly put by Larry Cuban (2001): The money spent on computers might have been better spent on other resources such as 'smaller class size', better salaries for teachers, renovation of decayed buildings computers in the classroom have been oversold by promoters and policymakers and underused by teachers and students.

ICTs are tool and not an end in themselves. Schools should therefore focus on what they need to use the tool for, in the first place. Choosing and deploying ICTs for education must stem from, and be driven by the desired educational objective(s) and outcome. From an extensive literature survey and consultations with various ICT in Education experts, GeSCI identified 11 commonly occurring educational objectives, which can be grouped into four broad categories.

• Target an end-to-end approach Purchasing and installing ICTs in schools is not the end of the story. It is only part of an integrated, comprehensive and on-going (end-to-end) system that requires that a plan be developed in advance, ICTs purchased and installed, users trained, adequate technical and user support provided, and continuous assessment and evaluation conducted to ensure that educational objectives are being met. The end-to-end system consists of 5 major components: deployment of ICTs, content and applications that accompany the ICTs, user training and support to enable proper usage, maintenance and technical support to keep the ICTs working and monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the ICTs are being used for the educational objectives originally envisaged. It should be comprehensive, demand driven, capable and efficient and well coordinated.
• Carefully consider your deployment model A study of the different ICT-in-schools models across the world suggests there are six key questions, grouped into four elements that help define those models:
• Usage approach: Who uses the equipment: administrators, teachers, students?

Where do they use it: office, classroom, lab, open access?

• Functionality: How interactive is the equipment? Is it connected to the Internet?
• Numbers: What is the ratio of devices to users?
• Content and Applications used: What content and applications are required for the educational objectives set?

The advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is often described as the third revolution in the dissemination of knowledge and in the enhancement of instruction. The first revolution being the invention of written language and the second the development of movable type and books (The ICT in Education Tool kit for Policy makers, Planners and Practitioners, UNESCO Bangkok).

A policy serves a political or organisational purpose in setting priorities and providing direction, guidelines and strategies to deal with a specific problem within the system. As such it encompasses the vision and provides an institutional master plan for what needs to be achieved within the overall political, economic and social context. While the policy serves a number of other purposes as well, the main purpose is to focus interventions on educational and learning objectives and on student needs and student achievement. In addition to student needs and student achievement, the policy can address the following issues:

• provide clear political direction
• set priorities for the sector e.g. with regard to needs, goals, levels, resources, timelines
• provide a basis for better informed and improved decision making, and therefore a more strategic approach to a complex issue
• provide a coherent framework for ICT interventions in education relating to curriculum integration, deployment of hardware and software, training of users at all levels, and standards to achieve systemic and institutional impact
• map out how and where ICTs fit in the system and how they can be optimally utilised to address institutional needs and meet institutional requirements
• highlight the benefits and challenges of ICTs and how to engage and deal with them in a systematic manner
• prevent disjointed, uncoordinated, fragmented and wasteful purchase, deployment and use of ICTs.

Important considerations for a sound policy formulation process

From the work done by UNESCO Bangkok for the development of The ICT in Education Toolkit and from the experiences of a number of countries, the following elements are necessary to formulate a sound ICT in Education policy:

• consultative and inclusive process bringing together key stakeholders to carefully consider the opportunities, challenges and implications of the intended policy
• combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches taking into consideration the broader landscape and contextual factors while cognisant of the needs expressed at lower and decentralised levels
• ownership by key stakeholders since they had participated in the formulation
• country (and state) specific in nature with realistic and achievable targets.

The above elements illustrate the need to identify beforehand (and even during the process) who (e.g. groups, institutions) will participate in the process, what processes would be involved, what resources would be required, what information is already available and what is still lacking, and what the timelines are.