Section 5 | RECOMMENDATIONS segments. To this end, the Working Group should host non-ICT-sector digital divide allies to leverage parallel initiatives that also include (at least in part) digital access for vulnerable groups. At a minimum, this includes the Ministry of Education’s ICT Incentive Plan within the National Education Strategic Plan. UN Women could lead discussions on harmonizing priorities articulated in these documents with existing government commitments under CEDAW.276 For example, national and international commitments to equitable access to education and information can be translated into USF earmarks for female-friendly publicaccess computer venues like libraries and schools in conflict-affected and rural areas where the private sector lacks profit-based incentives. Leverage Political Momentum Behind the Peace Process: Efforts to prioritize closure of the gender digital divide must underscore the divide’s relevance to the administration’s most pressing problem, thus tapping into the powerful forces incentivized to achieve a lasting peace. Specifically, INGO and CSO advocates of equitable development in conflict- ü QUICK WIN The ICT Sector Working Group should sponsor translation into Burmese of the World Bank’s Checklist for the Planning, Design and Implementation of an ICT Project Incorporating Gender affected areas should provide evidence-based case studies of the peace dividends of Issues and distribute copies to expanded ICT access to peace process participants on both sides of the table, such as ICT- all ministerial ICT focal points. related employment or TVET opportunities for demobilized combatants or women-headed households that contribute to a more skilled local workforce. Such benefits present win-win negotiating points where they align local socioeconomic needs with government and private-sector drivers of “last mile” investments for universal coverage. Educators and employers must take into account the different challenges women and girls face at each level of the digital skills pyramid.277 A second key finding is that gender-based differences in individual preferences, institutional rules, and occupational norms strongly influence both means and degree of skills acquisition in Myanmar. It is critically important to redress disparities in skills, despite the widespread perception of differences as normative and personal choices: digital skills are the bridge from passive access to ICTs (as described above) to meaningful usage that maximizes derived benefits for individuals and institutions (as described in the next section). Embed Digital Literacy into Universal Education (Bottom of the Pyramid): To counter disproportionately superficial ICT use among females in general and strong gender biases in informal skills acquisition in particular, donors and the government should fully fund already planned formal and informal education initiatives to integrate ICTs, as articulated in the National Education Strategic Plan 2016–2021 and the Public Library Master Plan 2017–2022. Priority should be given to efforts to (a) introduce appropriate tech-enabled pedagogy for low-resource primary and secondary classrooms through both preservice teacher training and inservice training for existing (primarily non–“digital native”) cadres; (b) reach out-ofschool adolescent girls and boys through tech-savvy, gender-sensitive, informal educators and infomediaries; and (c) improve and expand mother-tongue instruction, including multigenerational approaches such as digital storytelling, to rapidly expand community- The NSPAW 2016–2021 lacks both funding and an implementation plan to operationalize its objectives, making it an unlikely vehicle to make progress on closing the gender digital divide. 277 Desiree van Welsum and Bruno Lanvin, e-Leadership Skills: Vision Report (Brussels: European Commission, 2012). 276 Ending the Gender Digital Divide in Myanmar: A Problem-Driven Political Economy Assessment | 88