10QUESTIONS************************************************************* FROM THE U.N. TO THE ISLAND OF CHORAO: THE POWER OF VOLUNTEERING
>From the UN to an island, Alwyn Noronha (46) has opted for a life in Chorao, a tiny island-village off the Goa capital of Panjim. This returned expat is now helping the local St Bartholomew School with sprucing up and boosting its computer education facilities. Born in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), he came to Goa at the age of 10 and studied at Don Bosco's, Almeida's, Loyola's and Dhempe's. For a while, he tried being a medical rep at Bombay. "They threw me out. Sales in my area had plunged. From that time I realised I should never do anything involving people," he laughs. But his ticket was already booked to go to Vienna, where his uncle was based. He worked at the Austrian Information Service for Development Politics, an NGO there; and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, which he calls a 'Cold War' institution, at Laxenburg, outside Vienna. Next, he used his computer skills at the UNIDO (UN Industrial Development Organisation), and finally he spent at decade at the UNOV (UN Office in Vienna). Today, after returning back to Goa with wife Lisa Dias-Noronha and family, he's volunteering with the Goa Linux-for-Schools venture, being supported by local volunteers and expats like the Goa Sudharop (www.goasudharop.org). Alwyn represents the skills that an expat-oriented society like Goa could tap, and productively utilise, if only the structure existed for this. Schools in this state have already received a limited number of computers from the regional government. But much more efforts are required if these computers are to be augmented with more, to offer better resources to the average student across the state. That's where people like Alwyn fit in. Excerpts from an interview with the soft-spoken, man of few words.... ************************************************************************ FN: What motivated you to get involved with this project? ************************************************************************ To tell you the truth, I got dragged into it. The PCs were coming here anyway (to the village school, through a donor-project started by expats). I would be here, anyway. And my wife Lisa was already involved in the school a couple of years back, through a waste-management project. We've already made some investment of time in the school with its library project (with books shipped in from Austria in the past). ************************************************************************ FN: What are your plans as far as the computers go? ************************************************************************ To make sure they are used well. ************************************************************************ FN: How will you manage that? ************************************************************************ We hope to supplement with teaching help. My contribution would be anything we can do in improving the situation, increasing the number of PCs, organising training material... above all, actually spending time here. ************************************************************************ FN: What has been the attitude of the school? ************************************************************************ Very positive, extremely cooperative. Everything required (was made available on time). Funds were managed. Fittings for the computer room was done quickly, thanks to a cooperative principal and staff. (This has not been the experience with all other schools benefited from donated equipment, though. -FN) ************************************************************************ FN: What is the big challenge facing Goa's schools trying to offer students more access to computers? ************************************************************************ I know too little on this. This is my first involvement in computer education in schools anywhere, not just in Goa. So we will see what the problems are...I haven't had any problems so far. ************************************************************************ FN: How does Goa's schools ensure optimum utilisation of computers? ************************************************************************ We want to see after they've done word-processing and spread-sheets what else could be done. Internet connectivity, and setting up local websites... ************************************************************************ FN: Do you think students would have a problem with the GNU/Linux Operating System, since it's somewhat different from Windows? ************************************************************************ Basically no. I've never seen LTSP (a networking tool, using a local server, to share lower-powered computing resources more efficiently) in action, and haven't used Star Office. (Alwyn is into Lotus Notes, etc) But we will install and see. ************************************************************************ FN: Why is computer education important for the student in Goa today? ************************************************************************ At this level, it's just exposure that is needed. So that you've seen and used computers, not just heard about it. Of course, anything new you learn only broadens your horizons. It's a whole new toy. We then need someone who can teach simple programming languages. I always feel making big plans is not good. You have to go step by step. We first need to learn to type with ten fingers. Once that is over (move on to other things like) word-processing and spread-sheets and further on. ************************************************************************ FN: What model do you think would help Goa's schools get faster access to quality computer education? Should it be based on self-help, the involvement of expats? ************************************************************************ At this point, what is needed is (locally-generated) self-help. There has to be someone to teach students (imaginatively). I'm sure they'll pick up fast. At a latter stage, we can think of getting bigger. ************************************************************************ FN: What role could expats play now? Some have supported certain schools from the villages which they themselves trace their roots to... ************************************************************************ If they have teaching skills and ideas on what could be done (to take the project forward) within the framework available, that would be helpful. You can contact Alwyn at [EMAIL PROTECTED] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ To unsubscribe from Goanews Send a mail message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: 'unsubscribe goanews'
