This post was created to share a document called “Providing ICTs to Indigenous Peoples” which is part of a best practices toolkit created by the ITU’s Connect a School, Connect a Community initiative. But before I present the document, I’d like to step back and introduce it in context starting with a little about the ITU’s program:
About Connect a School, Connect a Community
From the connectaschool.org website: “Connecting all primary, secondary and post-secondary schools to ICTs by 2015 was one of the targets set by world leaders at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Connect a School, Connect a Community is a public-private partnership launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to promote broadband Internet connectivity for schools in developing countries around the world. Why focus on schools? Because connected schools can serve as community ICT centres for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, including women and girls. They can also serve as hubs to support indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities. So connected schools will serve not only the youth and children who attend them but also the broader communities in which they are located.
The objective is that children and youth attending these connected schools will have improved access to the latest information and communication technologies (ICTs). These centres will leverage ICTs to improve the economic and social development of their communities by providing ICT-based training on basic life skills (language literacy, numeracy and basic ICT literacy) along with training that develops business and ICT-specialized skills.”
The Toolkit of Best Practices and Policy Advice
Through the Connect a School, Connect a Community initiative, ITU and its partners have created The Toolkit of Best Practices and Policy Advice that identifies and compiles best practices that can be used by policy makers and regulators to connect schools to broadband Internet networks – as well as a repository of Training Materials Applications and Tools that can be used by connected schools and their community ICT centres.
The Toolkit currently contains five modules:
- Module 1: Policies and Regulation to Promote School Connectivity
- Module 2: Disseminating Low Cost Computing Devices in Schools
- Module 3: Providing ICTs to Indigenous Peoples
- Module 4: Using ICTs to promote education and job training for persons with disabilities
- Module 5: Community ICT Centres for the Social and Economic Empowerment of Women
About Module Three: Providing ICTs to Indigenous Peoples
It is the third module I wanted to share in this post (although the other modules may also be of interest). The objective of this module is to provide the main factors that should be considered in implementing a community connectivity program to interconnect schools in Indigenous communities. The approach that this module incorporates is oriented towards creating an enabling environment for ICT development in Indigenous communities.
The module is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter that explains the reason why a module on Indigenous communities is needed, and explains in detail the general structure of it. Chapter 2 shows Indigenous peoples’ situations, their needs and aspirations regarding information and communications technologies (ICTs), and how those needs and aspirations have been incorporated into various international agreements and recommendations. Chapter 3 presents the main aspects of a public policy designed to create an enabling environment for the development of ICTs in Indigenous communities. Chapter 4 offers basic organizational guidance that any indigenous community should take into account when designing and implementing a community ICT plan. Finally, Chapter 5 invites readers to reflect on the content of the module, and to contribute with experiences and thoughts on the subject.
Below are two documents, the first of which is the executive summary of the “Providing ICTs to Indigenous Peoples” module. The second is the full module document.
Executive Summary
The full piece is presented below. Use the icons to navigate…
To see the document full-screen or print it, use the far right icon or click here.
Module Three: Providing ICTs to Indigenous Peoples
The full piece is presented below. Use the icons to navigate…
To see the document full-screen or print it, use the far right icon or click here.
You can also access an HTML version of the module here: http://www.connectaschool.org/itu-html/14
For more information, please visit the Connect a School, Connect a Community website.
