What is Information Technology Policy

Information and communication technology (ICT) has turned the world into a global village, and its impact is being felt in all spheres of life. Though it has been rightly said that what is wrong with education cannot be fixed with technology; there is no doubt that modern life is dominated by technology. In today’s globalized world, there is a universal recognition of the need to use ICT in education because the free flow of information via satellite and the Internet hold sway in global information dissemination of knowledge. The application of ICT to education brought about the concept of e-education. This chapter considers the concept of e-education vis a vis the provisions of the national policy for information technology, and gives a state of the art with regard to some e-education initiatives that have been embarked upon by the government, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders in the country. It also identified the challenges constraining the effective deployment and exploitation of ICT for teaching and learning in the Nigerian education system, and recommends some policy options for the development of e-education in the country. The next section gives a background to the concept of e-education.