5.10.1 Policy Objectives 1. Increase the size and quality of ICT-skilled human resource base in Liberia; 2. Use ICT to improve the quality of delivery of education and training in all areas including distance learning, as well as to enhance the learning experience itself; 3. Establish a national public ICT literacy campaign and expand and improve adult-education, lifelong learning and both general and digital literacy; programs, notably for retraining and re-skilling the existing workforce; 4. Making the use of ICT as part of everyday life without excluding those that need skills development; 5. Encourage and support ICT training for political decision-makers, community and civil society leaders, as well as private and public sector executives; 6. Give special attention to providing new learning and ICT access opportunities for women and youth, the disabled and disadvantaged, particularly disenfranchised and illiterate people, in order to address social inequities; 7. Develop and deploy a nationwide e-Education system that supports schools, higher education/training facilities across the country by interconnecting them with each other and with relevant knowledge centers, providing curriculum integration while also generating information to better shape policies, strategic plans and tactical decisions for developing education and vocational training; 8. Foster interest among Liberia academia sectors to conduct research and development activities related to ICT; 9. Incentivize industry with ICT specialization to conduct their own training programs and to contribute to institutional training programs; 10. Encourage that tertiary institutions offer degree courses in ICT. Like many countries around the world, Liberia suffers from insufficient numbers of skilled and experienced experts in ICT and in other professions that rely on ICT. In the spirit of this policy, Liberia must nurture building the ICT skills and capabilities of its population, even if importing needed skills may be required. In addition, the country must align its educational priorities with those of a knowledge-based information society, which requires educational and vocational training programs to meet the needs of our labor markets. It is important to note that ICT also brings new opportunities to enhance education for all, including targeted interventions that may focus on disadvantaged groups, as well as an array of opportunities to support curriculum development, teaching methodologies, simulation laboratories, lifelong learning and distance education, digital skill training, among others. If planned well, ICT can advance a human resource development strategy to transform the country’s human capital. Establishing the National Research and Education Network (NREN) as an internet service provider for schools, research groups and tertiary educational institutions will help to mitigate the challenge of the lack of high capacity access for these institutions. This will be supported with the provision of international capacity at cost, through the government’s share of CCL. 5.10.2 Summary of Strategies The Government will support the creation of the necessary capacity by: 42