Advances in Closing the ICT Connectivity Gap in Asia and the Pacific: Better Analysis, Understanding, and Solutions

Equitable ICT connectivity around the region remains a development bottleneck, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its long-term effects, which has accelerated digitalization trends. It has become crucial for policy makers, development partners, and investors to review their strategies, fiscal space, and investment priorities.

Ellen Joyce Suficiencia

As the Director of the Financial Inclusion Group – Center for Learning and Inclusion Advocacy (CLIA) of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Joyce is deeply involved in various initiatives to drive the BSP’s financial inclusion agenda forward. She handles policy development and advocacy work with a particular focus on inclusive digital finance, MSMEs, and agriculture financing.

Joyce joined the BSP more than 18 years ago as a Bank Examiner. Prior to her current assignment, she was involved in the strategic management and enterprise project management implementation of the BSP.

Trends and Development of ICT in Education Policy

Despite a countless number of national-level ICT in education policy initiatives in the last decade, cases of successful integration of ICT that have led to enhancing teaching and learning in school still remain an exception than the norm. A suggested practical procedure for developing a national ICT in education master plan and the types of support UNESCO can offer are shared in this presentation.