ICT PROJECTS IN MACEDONIAN EDUCATION FROM 2005 TO 2019

Abstract

This paper is dealing with the different aspects of the process of computerization in the Macedonian primary and secondary schools. We analyze the ICT projects implemented in the Macedonian education in the last decade and a half, with a special focus on hardware and software procurements, trainings of teachers, publication of training manuals and textbooks, implementation of ICT in the educational process, and the final products of the conducted ICT projects, including the developing of management environments for learning, educational websites and Web portals. In this period, USAID has been one of the main actors in the global education reform in Macedonia. USAID's projects: E-Schools.mk, Macedonia Connect and the Primary Education Project were three successful stories in the process of computerization in the Macedonian schools. The ToolKid software was the first educational software which was implemented in all primary schools in Macedonia since the 2006/2007 school year. We are describing the main achievements of the governmental project: “Computer for every child” in detail. EDUBUNTU, a version of the Linux operating system designed for educational purposes, was installed in all schools, together with the Open Office software and the accompanying programs from EDUBUNTU: Keduca, KTouch, HT Track and iTalc, as well as 18 other educational programs. The most significant websites and portals created in the framework of the national ICT projects were: “Portal for primary and secondary schools”, “Skoool.mk educational portal”, “Electronic textbooks web portal”, and “Aggregator of video content Web portal”. In the period of 2005-2010, the author was a direct participant in most of the national ICT projects as a trainer, an author of manuals and a consultant. He had the opportunity to have both a direct insight into the ICT equipment at the dozens of schools and continuous communication with teachers who attended his trainings. It enabled him to gain a lot of knowledge about the equipment in the schools, the application of ICT and the use of educational software and digital learning materials in teaching different subjects. The process of the mass computerization in Macedonian schools has its own good and bad sides. The main advantages of this process were: improving the school infrastructure, procurements of ICT equipment; implementation of different educational software tools, holding numerous trainings, seminars, and workshops with teachers for innovative use of ICT in education, increasing awareness among school management, teachers and students for the importance of ICT application in education etc. On the other hand, over the past years we witnessed a lack of a serious, planned, organized and continuous approach in ensuring sustainability of the implemented projects, which resulted in a gradual loss of the benefits from them. A good portion of the final products of these projects have lost their useful value. Many Web portals and websites that were the result of these projects became inaccessible, and some of them remained active, but with a reduced functionality. There is also insufficient concern for both, the continuing training of teachers and their professional development. In the absence of a planned and organized activities intended to improve their competencies and skills, and the lack of long-term plans and programs for their trainings, this important area, which is crucial for high effectiveness of the educational process, is left to the teachers themselves.