Conference Objectives

The knowledge/information revolution is radically changing the life of individuals, as of the way institutions operate - whether business firms, companies, laboratories, offices, professional organizations, hospitals, schools or colleges, indeed any organization one can think of. And not only the way they operate internally, but how they relate to one another, locally, nationally, internationally. It is the purpose of the conference to speculate about these changes, and to consider how they affect - or should affect - what we demand from ICT education. So we need to ask ourselves:

1. What is the essence of the knowledge society we are said to be entering? And if it is essentially a revolution in information and communications technology, can we be clear what its different elements are - from e-mail to the Internet to distance learning - so that we can assess the educational implications?

2. Also, how can we assess the changing shape of employment and work, and what it implies for ICT educational requirements? Do we look to a radically different labour force in educational terms?

3. What are the roles of NGOs to build knowledge society aiming at multiplying strong knowledge base to assist community-based development initiatives at the grassroots level?