A regional analysis of ICT integration and e-readiness
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Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become a fixture of classrooms in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. From low-cost radio and television to laptops and smartboards, teachers are using technology to enhance and extend learning.
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A new UIS report, entitled ICT in Education in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Regional Analysis of ICT Integration and e-Readiness, based on survey responses from 38 countries, reveals the extent to which factors such as education policy, teacher training and infrastructure drive or hamper the integration of ICTs in schools.
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In general, the report states, Caribbean countries have much higher levels of ICT-assisted instruction using computers and the Internet than in South and Central America, where lack of infrastructure is an obstacle to e-readiness.
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There are exceptions. In Uruguay, for example, the learner-to-computer ratio in primary school is 1:1, thanks to a one-laptop-per child policy, while in the Dominican Republic, where the provision of basic electricity in schools is a challenge, an average of 122 pupils share a single computer.
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Despite the relatively high integration of ICT in some countries, there is a surprising lack of teachers trained in the use of educational technology. In Saint Kitts and Nevis, for example, where 100% of primary schools are well equipped with ICTs, a negligible number of teachers are ICT-qualified, potentially undermining the effectiveness of technology in the classroom.
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The survey, completed in 2011, was conducted in an effort to provide regional benchmarks for countries monitoring the integration of ICT in education.
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