I am not in any way speaking for UNDP, but personally and professionally.... Please note the reciprocal contrast between first and last sentences in the introductory paragraph of this memo, then ask why the title of this email exclusively focused on the first! This goes beyond a classical example of the half-full, or half-empty glass. As part of a team who demonstrated empirically and conclusively the surprising spread of e-comms in subSaharan Africa, and the implications for social policy in key areas of development (Perspectives in Education Vol 20 #2 pp 55-76), I suggest (and I think/hope there is wide agreement) that young African children, all over the continent, have inherently the right to the same opportunities for access to these crucial technologies as their counterparts worldwide in rich countries as well as poor. Public policy should recognize unequivocally the astounding emergence of e-comms as a new reality in business,commerce, and public service, thus comprising an essential educational requirement in the development of human resources. Unless parents and communities explicitly opt out, schools which ignore this reality are actively depriving their students of critical skills acquisition in a fast moving modern age. So it is incumbent on development agencies and the private sector to work with OSS pioneers as well as the proprietary software producers in addressing the existing commitments of governments to education for all in the Millennium Goals. So focus on the last sentence, and NOT the first!
Sally Gainsbury <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Attempts to bridge the 'digital divide' could lead Africa down a costly > path > > Poor planning, expensive software and under-utilisation make computers a > costly mistake for some African schools. Research published by id21 > Insights Education shows that the yearly cost of supplying and > maintaining one African school with 10 second-hand computers, software > and technical support could be as high as the cost of 2000 text books or > 3.6 teachers. Good planning and utilisation - such as making computers > available for community use outside school hours - and free 'open > source' software however, can lower costs dramatically. ..snip... ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
