Gender-based Issues and Trends in ICT Applications in Education in Asia and the Pacific

From the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Bangkok Meta-survey on the Use of Technologies in Education, this chapter is an Asia/Pacific regional examination of gender and information and communication technology (ICT) applications in education and ICT usage by women and girls. It proposes that though lack of access to ICT could increase "structured illiteracy" and reduce the status of women as bearers of "indigenous knowledge", there is the possibility of empowerment through technology.

Examples are organised to demonstrate conditions in which ICTs improve access to information and education for women and girls. Interactive radio instruction and online distance learning are examples of the provision of education through ICT. However, the document suggests evidence that support is needed for success in distance learning, particularly through tutorials, reading materials, and study centres. Access to technology may increase interest and participation in education of both children and adults. Using local languages and incorporating a strong visual component has been found to improve the engagement those with limited literacy. Fair use policies are needed to guarantee equitable use of ICT. Women role models, including teachers, in educational technology are needed. University student enrolment and faculty employment show a lack of gender parity.

The document discusses strategies that engender programmes and projects at every stage of their formation and implementation and ensure that gender-specific policies are enacted at all levels. "Access to equipment is critical, but true access requires addressing and overcoming the barriers of poverty, geography, time famine and socio-cultural constraints. Gender-sensitive training is essential and works best if it is applied, practical and provided in all-female sessions. And the role of computer-savvy women as teachers, mentors and role models cannot be overestimated. Capacity building in women’s institutions and organisations is a very effective method for expanding multifold the benefits of ICT training programmes."

Research-based findings include:

• Gender Mainstreaming: For example, one programme’s gender mainstreaming agenda policies implement strategies that include placing of gender on agendas, encouraging website content that is gender-responsive, encouraging gender balance in learner teams, and providing an award for gender responsiveness.
  
• Gender-Sensitive Programme Design: The requirement for gender-sensitive programme design applies to all facets of the educational system -  in the case of the formal system from curriculum to admissions to student-support strategies, and in the case of the non-formal and informal systems, from access to training to relevant content. Examples of gender-sensitive programme design include female-focused programmes, programmes with a financial incentive to encourage women’s participation, and ICT facilities run by a staff of at least half women.
  
• Engendering ICT and Education Policies: Evidence shows that engendering policies at all levels - regional, national, local, and sectoral - can be successful if multilevel policies are developed in tandem.
  
• Providing Girls and Women with Access to Equipment: Use of public or mixed gender facilities is enhanced for women if there is gender-appropriate support. Providing computers at home shows some promise of improving access for women.
• Providing Gender-sensitive Training: All-female training sessions, female instructors, peer training, and capacity building for women's organisations focused on helping them move their agendas forward are techniques that fit the profile of women as learners.
  
• Ensuring Relevancy: Because it has been found that women and girls consider ICT a means to an end, the content must appear as a relevant end. The content of literacy training materials in one programme, for example, was often interwoven with or based on topics that are viewed as “female,” such as health, nutrition, and child care.
  
• Conducting Gender-focused Research: Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) is a guide to integrating a gender analysis into evaluations of initiatives that use ICTs for social change. As well as serving in evaluation, the tool is designed to be used in the project planning process to ensure the integration of gender concerns.
  
• Promotion and Information Sharing: One strategy is to use the media as a transmission vehicle to raise awareness and knowledge about how ICT can empower women. For example, SchoolNet Africa carried out a Global Campaign for Education using celebrities to teach on gender issues for one hour.
  
• Using Blended Media: The use of blended media is a consistent theme in the use of ICTs for educating girls and women. The objective is to use a variety of technological tools within an educational experience, selecting what works best to meet the needs of the learner and the paedagogical objectives.
  

From the Conclusion: "The mandatory ingredient is relevancy. Women and girls need to understand the ways in which ICTs can benefit them and their community, and improve their world. They need to see how ICTs can help them do their work better or faster, keep themselves and their family fed, healthy and safe, and expand their horizons. Organisations that already have a valid and respected role with women and girls need to take the lead in ICT implementation, training and capacity building. Organisations that are custodians of knowledge that is critical to women’s lives, whether it be information about health, agriculture, business development or domestic violence, need to use ICTs in gender-appropriate ways to maximise the impact of their own programmes. We have learned a great deal about what needs to be done. We now need the collective will to apply these lessons learned."