Implementing ICT in Schools in a Developing Country: A Fijian Experience

Abstract

Signifi cant advances have been made towards the United Nations Millennium Development Goals on universal education. While there has been an increase in the number of children who now attend primary school, the quality of education remains an issue in many countries. Knowledge and the ability to use ICT are considered to be mandatory for citizens of this century. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is becoming increasingly more common in classrooms in developed countries. However, ICT use is often beyond the reach of many school communities in developing countries. While supporting these developing countries through donations of technology is a start, there is an equal if not a greater need to build teacher capacity so that the resources are effective in classrooms. The Share, Engage and Educate (SEE) project is about creating educational opportunities for learners in developing countries using ICT. Through the efforts of volunteers, the project provides technological resources to schools and engages teachers in activities that develop their capacity. The SEE project has adopted a four-phase model for ICT integration: objectives, implementation, feedback, and refl ection. This chapter reports upon the project's ongoing implementation phase in Fiji, including the approach taken to build teacher capacity and the identifi cation of factors which have impacted upon the project's success.

Transformative Learning in Fijian Primary Schools: A Case Study of Australian University Students’ International Experiences

“…The primary objective of the group engagement in Fiji was to showcase the use of ICT that aligned with the local curriculum and the needs of the schools. This would support the identified need of building teacher capacity in this area (Chandra et al, 2014).…”