Plenary forum on ‘Education’

Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
Created By: vignesh on 8-May-2008 10:22 AM

Background

It is axiomatic that a strong and inclusive educational system is the foundation of economic growth and innovation. It is also true that in both developed and developing markets’s educational systems are uneven and inconsistent in preparing students for the challenges of today’s increasingly digital environment – and of course many still have little or no access to formal education. Ironically, it is often in the learning context that computer technology – perhaps the world’s greatest tool for learning and the delivery of information – is used least effectively and creatively. Despite the dramatic ways in which IT has transformed our lives, today’s typical classroom and pedagogical style often closely resemble classrooms three decades ago – students sitting in rows of desks using a pen and paper to take notes, with the only major difference today being the use of computers to automate certain processes or mirror activities done initially by hand. The untapped potential of IT to fundamentally alter and enhance learning environments in ways that will foster social and economic opportunity for everyone – including underserved communities – is enormous. We will explore opportunities to dramatically change educational systems and increase access to education through the development and application of new technologies.

Proceedings

Anoop Gupta, Corporate Vice President, Unlimited Potential Group, Education Product Group, and Technology Policy & Strategy, Microsoft Corporation facilitated the session. Anoop introduced the theme of the plenary and invited the keynote speakers.

Prof Ir. Muhammad Nuh, DEA, Minister of Communications and Informatic, Republic of Indonesia and Prof Bambang Sudibyo, Minister of National Education, Republic of Indonesia delivered the keynote address. In their presentations, the ministers focused on the key government initiatives to transform the public service delivery. They outlined the challenges they are facing in terms of financial allocation, demographics, infrastructure and upscaling.

After the keynote addresses, Anoop invited Sheldon Shaeffer, Director, UNESCO Asia Pacific; Dr Rom Hiranpruk, Director, Office of Knowledge and Development, Thailland and Prof Jun Murai, Vice President, Keio University, Japan to share their views on the theme.

Key issues discussed

· Increasing disparity between the haves and have nots
· Including the children out of school and children with disabilities
· Reaching the children living in rural areas
· Lack of understanding among the policy makers while scaling up
· Shortage of knowledge workers
· Issue of morality ethics
· Lack of management of education
· Capacity building of teachers
· Wired vs. Wireless to reach the last mile
· Infrastructures vs. Applications approach to service delivery
· Top-down vs. Bottom-up in policy making
· Sustaianabiliy

Web Site: GLF Asia

Contact Name: Vignesh

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