2015•12•16 Kampala
The 4th Policy Board and Management Committee Meeting, related to the project “Accessible Technology for Inclusive Education in Uganda”, took place on 15 December 2015 in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, National Information Technology Authority, Uganda National Association of the Blind, Uganda Society for Disabled Children, Uganda Technology and Management University, Kyambogo University, UNESCO, UNICEF, and UNU-EGOV, who reviewed the project progress.
In particular, the meeting included a presentation by UNU-EGOV on “Digital Technology for Inclusive Education – Towards Policy Support Tool” and discussion on the findings of: 1) research on web-based policy monitoring and evaluation tools; 2) research on accessible technologies suitable for such tools; 3) analysis of the UNESCO Model Policy for Inclusive ICT in Education considering possible tool support; 4) the results of a survey with project partners concerning user requirements for the policy support tool; and 5) presentation and discussion on preliminary requirements for the policy support tool based on research (1) and (2), analysis (3) and the survey (4).
The UNESCO Model Policy prescribes policy objectives at the learner, organization and system levels and pursues them through a series of policy actions from reviewing the current situation (auditing actions) and ensuring the presence of necessary requirements for implementation (prerequisite actions), to directly delivering the policy objectives (implementation actions) and gathering feedback to guide further action and sharing information on the outcomes and results (monitoring and dissemination actions). Under coordination of the Lead Ministry, the tool, therefore, will directly support the monitoring and auditing actions, and indirectly other policy actions. The intention is, after validating the tool in Uganda, to offer it to other countries that intend to implement the UNESCO Model Policy.