How We Work

The overall objective of GeSCI's work is to ensure that countries are empowered with the capacity to make clear, strategic and visionary decisions and to develop strategies and plans for the proper use of ICTs in Education to advance their overall education and development objectives in the context of the knowledge society.  To achieve this objective, GeSCI's work focuses on providing strategic advice and building strategic capacity on a system-wide (whole education sector) basis for long term sustainability and not on direct implementation of ICT programmes. 


Engaging with MoEs

GeSCI engages directly with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and other ministries relevant to the development of ICTs, Education and the Knowledge Society such as those responsible for science and technology, energy or finance. GeSCI works with these MoEs and other relevant government agencies to understand the potential and limitations of ICTs, helping them to make informed and rational decisions on ICT infrastructure and deployment based on their educational objectives. GeSCI supports the country in developmental visioning, planning and policy development, sharing promising and established practices, developing operational and guidance frameworks and in formulating strategies to create enabling environments for harnessing ICTs for effective teaching and learning.

 

In Practice

In practice, GeSCI provides dedicated specialist staff (often working full-time within the MoE) and access to a global pool of specialists and knowledge. GeSCI's specialists work closely together with the relevant government officials (usually at the management and decision making level) on a day-to-day basis providing advice, sharing and exchanging experiences, knowledge and the latest research. This continuous interaction and knowledge exchange is also the basis for building strategic capacities.

 

Research and Analysis

The integration of ICTs in Education is a relatively recent phenomenon and so there is a limited body of knowledge relating to the effective acquisition, deployment, integration and impact of ICTs in Education. In its work with countries, GeSCI often encounters issues with little or no documented knowledge.  To provide relevant and appropriate advice on such issues, GeSCI often undertakes some research and analytical work. This work is often focused on identifying what other developed and developing countries have done in similar situations, experiences from other experts in the field, documenting good and emerging practices and developing tools, guides and how-to documents to aid planning and decision making.  Good examples of GeSCI work in this area is the development of the TCO toolkit which aids governments in costing and budgeting for ICTs in Education; the content evaluation tool which aids Ministries and schools in selecting appropriate content; and the recent Teacher Professional Development matrix which helps ministries with developing strategies for the professional development of teachers to enable them use ICTs appropriately in teaching and learning. This research and analytical work is integral to GeSCI 's operations and is the basis for GeSCI's strategic advice to countries.

Outcome

GeSCI's work usually culminates in one or all of the following: ICT in Education policies and strategic plans; deployment or action plans; institutional and staffing changes; budgets and resourcing plans; partnerships forged and the successful deployment and integration of ICTs. As GeSCI's work is primarily aimed at advising and building strategic capacity of the MoE and not actual implementation, GeSCI expects to engage these countries for periods of about 2-3 years.

 

GeSCI adopts a number of approaches to its work, all tailored to the level and nature of the engagement.

At the Country Level

In practice, GeSCI provides dedicated specialist staff (often working full-time within the MoE) and access to a global pool of specialists and knowledge. GeSCI's specialists work closely together with the relevant government officials (usually at the management and decision making level) on a day-to-day basis providing advice, sharing and exchanging experiences, knowledge and the latest research. This continuous interaction and knowledge exchange is also the basis for building strategic capacities. From this vantage point GeSCI can provide day-to-day support across a spectrum of programme challenges. GeSCI can be found engaging in the following activities:

  • Day-to-day interaction and exchange of knowledge between GeSCI experts and MoE officials both in-country and at a distance
  • Developing, synthesising and sharing lessons and good and emergent practices from around the world
  • Assisting MoEs to benchmark their own structures, processes and institutions informed by research
  • Promoting and leveraging effective partnerships


At the Regional Level

GeSCI's regional programmes are essential mechanisms for creating and sharing knowledge and experiences on a multi-country and multi-stakeholder basis.At the regional level GeSCI can be found facilitating knowledge sharing and building on a single platform with memebers from over 15 African countries. The African Knowledge Exchange, as part of our larger Africa Regional Programme, is GeSCI's prime vechicle for ICT4E regional capacity building and we are also seeking to develop similar stratetgic knoweldge sharing communities in Asia and LAC.

 

At the Global Level

At the global level GeSCI is actively engaged in advocacy and partnership building. GeSCI promotes and facilitates global policy dialogue on ICT in Education as a way of contributing to the general understanding and development of a knowledge society. Research and Knowledge Building is another critical component of GeSCI's activities at this level. The complexity and rapidly changing nature of the ICT in Education landscape requires us to seek a multi-disciplinary and multi-methodological research lens for understanding the impact of the phenomenon of ICT in education systems. This understanding empowers our partners at the global, regional and local levels, to make informed decisions about ICT in Education.