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04th
February 2012
Information
Technology For All
Marjorie is
seventy years old and lives in Choiseul. She
works as a market vendor in Castries and her
children and grandchildren come to visit her
in the market-place with their newly acquired
gadgets. She is always happy to see and talk
to them and to talk to family members overseas
via Skype on Junior her grandson’s Smartphone.
She also uses messenger to inform her daughter
of his whereabouts and grades. Marjorie is one
in a new generation of computer users in Saint
Lucia who are not just using technology for
mail, social networks and browsing, but also
for accessing information and enhancing their
businesses activities. Still, there is a long
way to go in bridging that information technology
divide, not just the age gap, but the social
and community gap as well.
An Information and Technology Programme, (ICT)
initiative funded by the European Union (EU),
under the special framework of Assistance (SFA
2008), now in its second year of implementation
is designed to address many of these challenges.
Last month, the newest phase of this project
was highlighted by the handing over of ICT supplies
by EU officials to the Minister of Education,
Honourable Robert Lewis, for the Libraries and
Boys’ Training Centre.
And whilst supplies, the technology and equipment
are today more accessible, the increased access
does not necessarily translate to increased
use. In this regard, the ICT programme will
be introducing activities that will be addressing
and making persons feel comfortable with the
use of the technology and apply it to their
everyday lives.
According to Ron Isaac, Project Coordinator
of the Education Enhancement through ICT Programme
at the Ministry of Education, Human Resource
Development and Labour, lack of wider use of
the technology here may be in part because of
fear of the unknown as well as lack of enlightenment.
“In the past one used to say that the
fear of technology was as a result of the lack
of academic education, and whilst the academic
component is an investment in economic success,
most persons, particularly older and marginal
persons in the rural communities have not been
properly enlightened as to the use of what we
call gadgets, be it laptops computers, Touch
Pads and the likes,” Isaac explained.
Over the years there has been great disparity
between developed and developing countries in
ICT access and availability as well as between
city and town and villages. Developing countries
far lagged behind developed nations in computer
use and internet access and usage with 1 in
130 people in Africa owning a computer, while
in North America and Europe 1 in every 2 people
have access to the Internet. The National Census
here has revealed that computer ownership per
household has increased from 13.1 % in 2001
to 38.6% in 2010. Internet connections per household
moved from 6.7 % in 2001 to 26.5% in 2010, a
sure sign than there is greater access to information
technology in Saint Lucia.
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The EU-financed ICT initiative
is expected to result in the ratification
of a new educational technology policy including
reform to the primary school curriculum. The
programme will also seek to develop digital
literacy and related competencies among students
and persons in the community, but also provide
professional development opportunities and
empower teachers to integrate technology into
their classroom practice effectively. The
project is also expected to have an impact
on rural communities. Centres will be open
on evenings to help the community access the
training and learning provided by the ICT
programmes. While the programme cannot provide
computers for all, it seeks to further increase
the rate of ICT penetration by providing relevant
resources, building ICT delivery capacity,
retrofitting and refurbishing ICT spaces and
enhancing community spaces across the island.
The real benefits lie not in the provision
of technology, but rather in its application
to create powerful social and economic networks
by dramatically improving communication and
the exchange of information. Examples are
cited in places like Gambia where ICT programmes
are having an impact on better health care,
in Chile where it is starting to reap significant
results in primary school education, in Bangladesh
it has led to the creation of direct employment
for thousands of local women and men, while
in parts of India new Internet-enabled centres
mean better access to different Government
services for remote communities.
In a document titled “Possible models
of initiatives to promote ICT for employment
and poverty M. Mrayati states that, “Detailed
analysis of experience around the world, reveals
ample evidence that used in the right way
and for the right purposes, ICT can have a
dramatic impact on achieving specific social
and economic development goals as well as
play a key role in broader national development
strategies.”
With the EU ICT project expected to be fully
implemented here in Saint Lucia in the year
2014, success stories are expected to be ongoing.
Not only will there be more like Marjorie
communicating with friends and family all
over the world via laptops, mobile phones
and tablets, it is hoped that more of our
citizens will be using ICT to sell local products
overseas, more students will have access to
study programmes and books online and farmers
will be reading up online about not only possible
threats to their livelihoods like the dreaded
black sigatoka, but seeking real opportunities
online which will have an impact on their
families, their communities and the nation
as a whole.
Please
comment respectfully and responsibly as we
reserve the right to remove any comment we
consider inappropriate. Refrain from personal
attacks and using any offensive language.
Discuss
Story
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