{"id":5045,"date":"2012-10-19T07:48:21","date_gmt":"2012-10-19T12:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=5045"},"modified":"2012-10-19T07:52:29","modified_gmt":"2012-10-19T12:52:29","slug":"snapshot-ict-integration-e-readiness-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2012\/10\/snapshot-ict-integration-e-readiness-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Snapshot: ICT integration and e-readiness in education"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>A review of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics\u2019 survey on ICT integration and e-readiness in education across the Caribbean and Latin America.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Camera-Lens-by-Sura-Nualpradid-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4301\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2012\/07\/snapshot-2012-update-on-the-state-of-telecoms-in-the-caribbean\/camera-lens-by-sura-nualpradid-freedigitalphotos-net\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Camera-Lens-by-Sura-Nualpradid-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?fit=400%2C262&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"400,262\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Camera Lens by Sura Nualpradid (FreeDigitalPhotos.net)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Camera-Lens-by-Sura-Nualpradid-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?fit=300%2C196&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Camera-Lens-by-Sura-Nualpradid-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?fit=400%2C262&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft  wp-image-4301\" title=\"Camera Lens by Sura Nualpradid (FreeDigitalPhotos.net)\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Camera-Lens-by-Sura-Nualpradid-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?resize=192%2C126\" alt=\"http:\/\/www.freedigitalphotos.net\/images\/Photography_g291-Camera_Lens_p64295.html\" width=\"192\" height=\"126\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Camera-Lens-by-Sura-Nualpradid-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Camera-Lens-by-Sura-Nualpradid-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?resize=300%2C196&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px\" \/><\/a>Over the last few months, particularly after the release of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations results of the June 2012 sitting, there has been extensive debate across the region about the quality of education, and the extent to which computers are assisting with instruction and learning. As healthy as those debates might be, they are often based on conjecture and anecdotal evidence, and do not necessary provide a clear picture of what obtains in individual countries, or across the Caribbean region as whole.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unesco.org\/new\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\">United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.uis.unesco.org\/Pages\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Institute for Statistics (UIS)<\/a> has published the results of its 2010\/2011 study, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.uis.unesco.org\/Communication\/Documents\/ict-regional-survey-lac-2012.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">ICT in Education in Latin America and the Caribbean: A regional analysis of ICT integration and e-readiness<\/a><\/em>. The impetus for the exercise is the global emphasis that been placed on better integrating ICT in education to facilitate nation building and the realisation of Information Societies. For example, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.un.org\/millenniumgoals\/\" target=\"_blank\">Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)<\/a>, speak to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>achieving universal primary education (goal 2)<\/li>\n<li>eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education (goal 3)<\/li>\n<li>making available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications (goal 8, target 8.F).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Additionally, in its action plan, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.itu.int\/wsis\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)<\/a> set the following two targets in relation to education:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>connect all secondary schools and primary schools with ICT (target 2)<\/li>\n<li>adapt all primary and secondary school curricula to meet the challenges of the Information Society, taking into account national circumstances (target 7).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The UIS publication on ICT integration and e-readiness has been guided by the above targets, as well as those stated by other regional and international groupings. Hence the report ought to provide some insight into the extent to which ICT has been integrated into and is being used in education across the Caribbean.<\/p>\n<h3>Methodology<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_5047\" style=\"width: 238px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/List-of-Caribbean-countries.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5047\" data-attachment-id=\"5047\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2012\/10\/snapshot-ict-integration-e-readiness-education\/list-of-caribbean-countries\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/List-of-Caribbean-countries.jpg?fit=228%2C168&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"228,168\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"List of Caribbean countries\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Table 1: Caribbean\/CARICOM countries that are the focus of this review (Source: ICT Pulse)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/List-of-Caribbean-countries.jpg?fit=228%2C168&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/List-of-Caribbean-countries.jpg?fit=228%2C168&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5047\" title=\"List of Caribbean countries\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/List-of-Caribbean-countries.jpg?resize=228%2C168\" alt=\"\" width=\"228\" height=\"168\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5047\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Table 1: Caribbean\/CARICOM countries that are the focus of this review (Source: ICT Pulse)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>With the assistance of in-country statisticians and consultants, the UIS surveyed 38 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America to collect data along the following themes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>policy and curriculum<\/li>\n<li>ICT integration in schools<\/li>\n<li>enrolment in programmes using ICT, and<\/li>\n<li>teachers and ICT.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Our discourse will be limited to countries in the Caribbean and\/or those that are members of the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/w\/index.php?search=caricom&amp;title=Special%3ASearch\" target=\"_blank\">Caribbean Community (CARICOM)<\/a>, as\u00a0listed in Table 1.\u00a0 It is important to note that although the UIS consulted all of the listed countries, some countries did not provide the requisite data, and would have been omitted from certain metrics.<\/p>\n<h3>Key results<\/h3>\n<p>Most of Caribbean countries have formally demonstrated some commitment to ICT in education, which may be in the form of policies, plans, regulatory provision, and\/or body. Table 2 shows the results in relation to the sample group.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5050\" style=\"width: 390px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Status-of-ICT-definitions.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5050\" data-attachment-id=\"5050\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2012\/10\/snapshot-ict-integration-e-readiness-education\/status-of-ict-definitions\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Status-of-ICT-definitions.jpg?fit=380%2C280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"380,280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Status of ICT definitions\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Table 2: Status of political commitments on ICT in education in select Caribbean countries (Source: UIS)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Status-of-ICT-definitions.jpg?fit=300%2C221&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Status-of-ICT-definitions.jpg?fit=380%2C280&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5050\" title=\"Status of ICT definitions\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Status-of-ICT-definitions.jpg?resize=380%2C280\" alt=\"\" width=\"380\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Status-of-ICT-definitions.jpg?w=380&amp;ssl=1 380w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Status-of-ICT-definitions.jpg?resize=300%2C221&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5050\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Table 2: Status of political commitments on ICT in education in select Caribbean countries (Source: UIS)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Second, ICT in secondary schools is better in quality and is more established than at the primary level. In most countries, priority has been given to the ensuring that the requisite systems have been instituted at the secondary level, so that at the very least, students are computer literate, in order to meet a basic requirement of the job market. Additionally, in the English-speaking Caribbean, CXC has introduced IT and computing subjects, which has reinforced the need for schools to be properly equipped to deliver those curricula. Hence, among other things, secondary schools tend to have better connectivity (Figure 1), more frequent use of computer aided instruction, and smaller student-to-computer ratios (Figure 2) than primary schools.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5048\" style=\"width: 471px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Internt-broadband-in-schools.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5048\" data-attachment-id=\"5048\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2012\/10\/snapshot-ict-integration-e-readiness-education\/internt-broadband-in-schools\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Internt-broadband-in-schools.jpg?fit=461%2C303&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"461,303\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Internet broadband in schools\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Figure 1: Proportion of primary and secondary schools with fixed Internet broadband as at 2009\/2010 in select Caribbean countries (Source: UIS)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Internt-broadband-in-schools.jpg?fit=300%2C197&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Internt-broadband-in-schools.jpg?fit=461%2C303&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5048\" title=\"Internet broadband in schools\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Internt-broadband-in-schools.jpg?resize=461%2C303\" alt=\"\" width=\"461\" height=\"303\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Internt-broadband-in-schools.jpg?w=461&amp;ssl=1 461w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Internt-broadband-in-schools.jpg?resize=300%2C197&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 461px) 100vw, 461px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5048\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 1: Proportion of primary and secondary schools with fixed Internet broadband as at 2009\/2010 in select Caribbean countries (Source: UIS)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5049\" style=\"width: 453px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Student-to-computer-ratio.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5049\" data-attachment-id=\"5049\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2012\/10\/snapshot-ict-integration-e-readiness-education\/student-to-computer-ratio\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Student-to-computer-ratio.jpg?fit=443%2C253&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"443,253\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Student-to-computer ratio\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Figure 2:  Ratio of students to computers as at 2009\/2010 in select Caribbean countries (Source: UIS)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Student-to-computer-ratio.jpg?fit=300%2C171&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Student-to-computer-ratio.jpg?fit=443%2C253&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5049\" title=\"Student-to-computer ratio\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Student-to-computer-ratio.jpg?resize=443%2C253\" alt=\"\" width=\"443\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Student-to-computer-ratio.jpg?w=443&amp;ssl=1 443w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Student-to-computer-ratio.jpg?resize=300%2C171&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 443px) 100vw, 443px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5049\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 2: Ratio of students to computers as at 2009\/2010 in select Caribbean countries (Source: UIS)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Third, gender inequality does not appear to be as grave an issue across the Caribbean region. However, the UIS survey is limited to primary schools. At the secondary level and to varying degrees, students may have some choice as to whether to pursue IT-related subjects, and hence the extent to which they are exposed to computers and computing. Nevertheless, teachers are still expected to integrate computer or Internet aided instruction into the learning process, thus exposing students to the technology.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, teachers are essential to the learning process \u2013 those who are qualified in ICT, those who teach basic computer skills, and those who integrate ICT tools into the teaching of other subjects. Table 3 generally suggests that across the Caribbean, there are still too few teachers proficient in ICT\/computing.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5051\" style=\"width: 489px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Teachers-and-ICT.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5051\" data-attachment-id=\"5051\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2012\/10\/snapshot-ict-integration-e-readiness-education\/teachers-and-ict\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Teachers-and-ICT.jpg?fit=479%2C361&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"479,361\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Teachers and ICT\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Table 3:  Combined primary- and secondary-level teachers and ICT as at 2010 for select Caribbean countries (Source: UIS)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Teachers-and-ICT.jpg?fit=300%2C226&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Teachers-and-ICT.jpg?fit=479%2C361&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5051\" title=\"Teachers and ICT\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Teachers-and-ICT.jpg?resize=479%2C361\" alt=\"\" width=\"479\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Teachers-and-ICT.jpg?w=479&amp;ssl=1 479w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Teachers-and-ICT.jpg?resize=300%2C226&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 479px) 100vw, 479px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5051\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Table 3: Combined primary- and secondary-level teachers and ICT as at 2010 for select Caribbean countries (Source: UIS)<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>Overall, and according to UIS, the Caribbean showed,<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u2026much higher integration levels of ICT-assisted instruction and the essential infrastructure, including basic hardware (i.e. computers) and Internet connectivity, than most Latin American countries from South and Central America.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>However, based on concerns that have been expressed by policymakers, educators, and even the public at large, there is considerable room for improvement. Hence athough there might be high ICT integration in the region, as per the UIS report, there might still be challenges with respect to the effectiveness of technology in the classroom and in the learning process, which are yet to be studied.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Image credits:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.freedigitalphotos.net\/images\/Photography_g291-Camera_Lens_p64295.html\" target=\"_blank\">Sura Nualpradid<\/a> (FreeDigitalPhotos.net)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>________<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A review of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics\u2019 survey on ICT integration and e-readiness in education across the Caribbean and Latin America. Over the last few months, particularly after the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17,27,11],"tags":[59,49,32,61],"class_list":["post-5045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-caribbean","category-computing","category-ict-tech","tag-digital-divide","tag-education","tag-information-society","tag-snapshot-series","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-1jn","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5045"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5058,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5045\/revisions\/5058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}