General ICT policy elements
An ICT policy in education cannot be formulated without addressing the degree of development of a country's ICT infrastructure and its overall ICT policy first. Schools will find it hard to connect to the Internet or train teachers online if the country's telecommunication infrastructure is underdeveloped and information systems and services are inadequate.
Below you will find elements that are commonly included in overall national ICT policies and programmes. Many of these elements are in turn dependent on international cooperation and exchange of experiences. For instance, standardisation of telecommunication protocols or setting rules for the administration of Internet domain names cannot be accomplished without international cooperation.
1. Development of ICT infrastructure
- Infrastructure development
- Interoperation of information systems
- Enhancement of public services
- Cost savings in service delivery, purchasing, communication, etc.
- Electronic commerce and secure transactions
- Development of technological standards
2. Development of skills
- Research and development
- ICT education and training
3. Development of legislation and policies to correspond to the requirements of new ICT
- Diffusion of information technology
- Development of ICT industries
- Trade policies for ICT-related goods and services
- Pricing and taxation of electronic services
- Protection of intellectual property
- Privacy of personal data
- Protection of cultural and linguistic diversity
- Protection against illegal and harmful content
- Adoption of standards
4. Institutional development and coordination
- Institutional and regulatory structures
- National ICT development coordination
- International interface and cooperation
5. Access to ICT
- Access to infrastructure
- Access to information
6. Monitoring ICT
- Monitoring the use of ICT
- Measurement of the impact of ICT