4.1 Project Coordination

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The implementation of an LCCD program is a complex undertaking. LCCDs can have significant impacts on classrooms, teachers, training methods, distribution of educational materials and curriculum. They also affect school funding and infrastructure requirements (e.g., electricity and networking). Given the complexity of such programs, many countries have chosen to implement LCCD projects with various partners.

The decision to implement an LCCD program is sometimes made at the highest level of government. If the government changes, then there may no longer be support for the program. This was the case in Ghana and Nigeria, where new governments stopped LCCD programs. One way to avoid this is to create a national coordinating committee, which adds legitimacy and sustainability to the project.
 
Once the decision is made to implement a low-cost computing device program, it is generally coordinated through the country’s educational ministry. Furthermore, partners often insist on some kind of commitment from the education ministry before they will participate.
 
Although the education ministry may take overall responsibility for the program, ongoing management is sometimes delegated to a technical branch of the ministry or another agency of the government. In Uruguay, the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay (Laboratorio Tecnológico del Uruguay or LATU), a quasi-autonomous organization, coordinates the country’s LCCD program. LATU is managed by a board of directors overseen by a government representative (from the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining), a representative from the Chamber of Industry, and a delegate from the central bank.
 
In Haiti, the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MENFP) is responsible for overall LCCD coordination.  It chairs the ICT in Education Steering Committee, which consists of both public and private sector representatives that oversee the project. The pilot is implemented by the Project Coordinating Unit (PCU), located within the MENFP.
 
In Nepal, the LCCD project is coordinated by the Department of Education, with input from the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Curriculum Development Center and the National Center for Educational Development.  Participants also include non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international partners such as Danish development assistance (see figure below). School administrators, teachers and parents are also part of the implementation process. The Open Learning Exchange (OLE), a Nepalese NGO, has an agreement with the government of Nepal to help implement the project.
 
Table 7-1 provides a list of project responsibilities among different partners.
 
Figure 4-1: LCCD Project Coordination and Partners in Nepal
Note: DoE = Department of Education, MoES = Ministry of Education and Sports, NCED = National Centre for Educational Development, CDC = Curriculum Development Center, OLE = Open Learning Exchange.

Source: Open Learning Exchange Nepal.

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