The following comment is a Featured Comment that has been posted by seeker PRAVEEN KUMAR CHOUDHARY.

“As we see the future of ICT , usage of more hand held devices is inevitable. Given this , this is a huge opportunities for companies that are developing software for mobile phones and other similar PDA devices.

Imagine the fact that in a country like India , where in more and more people are growing to use cell phones at a phenomonal pace, it could be an educational revolution , if we could get simple softwares made for PDA devices for education to people in their local languages. The key idea being that if we could get content designed and managed for PDAs , which are managble in smaller memories and can be managed through services the way we download ringtones today.

Came across this Project that focuses on using ICT for Education & Community Development. You can view the original research here.

Research Objective

The objective of this research project was to explore the potential of ICTs in facilitating the communities’ creation of local level information repositories for local development. While the research involved studying the process through a live project involving the community and local government authorities in general, and school children in particular. The project titled ‘Mapping the Neighbourhood’ (supported by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, and implemented by CSDMS, India) involved the community to generate geo-spatial data of their locality through the preparation of neighbourhood maps with the help of mobile mapping technique. The project involved introducing ICT to the community, capacity building of the community to use ICT for generation of local level information and engaging in the use of this information in local development planning. The research’s primary objective was to study the effect of using ICTs on community awareness building and learning. The objectives of this initiative were:

• Identify and sensitise the community about local development issues
• Sensitise the community and local development bodies on the need and value of locally level information for local decision-making
• Capacity building of the community in the use of new technologies for generation of local information repositories
• Capacity building of the community to engage and participate in local governance

The research objective was to find out whether ICTs could be used as effective tools for community capacity building in the generation and use of locally relevant information for development.

Outcomes

The project created awareness among the school children about their locality and in the process established a clear program of education and awareness building for the community for them to realize the importance of community generated geospatial data.

Cooperative partnerships were created among communities and between the communities and development organisations for sharing of data that would enhance the understanding patterns of development that are significant to the larger area and help the community members in effective utilisation of the information for more informed decisions on local issues. The initiative was effective in evolving an unique local information base that can be substantially used for local level planning. It has emerged from the project that there is a need to bring Geo- ICT in community life. In most developing countries, collection of spatial as well as aspatial information is a challenge despite its effective role in problem solving. Geo-ICT can bring significant contribution to local development through participatory approach in data collection, dissemination and updating the data for generating local content of relevance for micro-level planning and development.

Another success outcome of the project has been to capacitate the community to prepare, use and update detailed neighbourhood maps, which are grounded in ecological and social narrative with school children as the spearhead of knowledge creation. Another important aspect of this project is local content generation for the community and by the community, taking the young, innovative minds as the central power to motivate the community for long-term learning with the help of ICT. Ultimately this local content will be of the community that can help them to actively participate in the decision making process.

This programme has helped the students to learn the art of scientific exploitation of maps and mapping techniques as an investigative tool to explore and archive information about natural resources, public utilities, infrastructure, demography and such similar study areas that have direct or indirect implication on them and their community. While they learn these diverse and fundamental issues and gain knowledge about them, they feel to be getting closer to their native land.

While the use of ICT for community learning, especially in the field of elementary education, eradicating illiteracy and training for youths has been popularised by various organisations, efforts towards “community-learning through knowledge creation” with the help of ICT, has been rare. At the age when technological innovations are changing the world with each passing day, technology is impacting human life like never before. It is crucial for the community to not only to be oriented towards these new age technologies but a knowledge about their application would prove effective for the community to explore its benefits for their own development.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are not yet sufficiently present in Europe’s education systems, and reforms must be introduced to adapt them to the technological changes sweeping through our societies. This is the main conclusion of a report adopted by the European Commission.

The report, entitled “The use of ICT to support innovation and lifelong learning for all – A report on progress”, describes how the use of e-learning has developed in Europe since 2000. It assesses the impact of ICT on school and higher education, while taking other education sectors into account. It then draws conclusions for the next stage of using information technology in education and training, and identifies the challenges posed by the need for improving the quality and efficiency in Europe’s education systems, and in particular for pedagogical, technological and organisational innovation.

Key Findings of the Report (download the report here)

A RENEWED APPROACH TOWARDS ICT FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING

ICT is pervasive in shaping all parts of our society, economy and culture. Since 2000, the European Union has stepped up its activities to improve e-learning and the development of digital competences through education. This has continued under the Renewed Lisbon Agenda and the July 2008 Communication on the Renewed Social Agenda for Europe which have highlighted ICT as a key mechanism to create more social and economic opportunities for EU citizens and improve their access to quality services, also for education
and training.

This report feeds into the ongoing discussions on the preparation of ‘An updated strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training’ which the Commission will adopt in December 2008. Overall the hope is to bring e- Learning more closely to the task of
creating a European Lifelong Learning Area.

In the last decade, the EU has had considerable success in introducing ICT to education and training. Yet if institutions have been ICT-equipped and teachers and trainers ICT-trained, ICT has not yet transformed teaching and learning as it has transformed processes in other key sectors such as enterprise or public services. Today, pedagogical, technological and organisational innovations demand a renewed and more comprehensive approach towards the role of ICT in education and training. This renewed approach should address the impact of technological change and innovation in society and education in the last decade.

ICT as a Basic Education and Training Tool

A first priority is to exploit infrastructure investments fully. The mainstreaming of e-learning is far from completed. ICT is not yet fully embedded in pedagogical practice or educational systems. A particular effort is called for on pedagogy, to develop the innovative teaching and
learning tools made possible by ICT. ICT is also an enabler of learning and teaching processes. It can empower learners in new ways. It can facilitate learning-by-doing, inquiry learning, problem solving strategies, creativity, and complex decision-taking and other competencies for innovation.

ICT as an Enabler of Lifelong Learning

ICT can extend the scope of education and training and be instrumental in providing new educational services at all stages in life. The need for this is not in doubt. ICT-based tools can provide unprecedented accessibility to address these needs.

While existing developments need to be sustained, effort is needed in less well covered areas, which have high potential. These include helping the most disadvantaged groups – adult learners, school drop-outs, older people, and groups with specific problems such as immigrants or ethnic minorities. ICT tools, appropriately used and supported, can benefit employment, personal development, and civic participation.

At the same time, ICT can help to build and support a learning continuum, including formal, informal and non-formal learning so helping achieve lifelong learning. More should be done to increase the levels of confidence, upgrading the digital competences and to shift from access to quality of use of ICT for learning.

ICT as a Key Driver for Creativity and Innovation.

Innovation is today seen as one of the main engines of long-term economic growth and social development. ICT, a key driver for change in many fields, must also lever change in education and training. Intelligent use of ICT can scale up the core functions of education and build active learning communities in a networked society. A fresh impetus is needed to enable European education and training to better respond to the growing need for innovation. This calls for more than just improving knowledge base and easily measurable knowledge
levels.

System change has happened in other parts of our social and economic fabric and it can also happen in education and training. The May 2008 European Council conclusions on promoting creativity and innovation point out that “an increasing share of learning occurs at the workplace, in non-formal contexts and in leisure time – often through new ICT-based learning tools and methods”48. While this report focused more on formal domains of education and training, the shift towards informal and non-formal learning modes shows clearly that interactive learning, content creation, personalised and self-directed learning all play an increasing role in the ways people learn.

The role of technology in enhancing communication and community-based collaboration while supporting the constant development of personal competencies has a clear relevance for lifelong learning. The transformation of enterprises and public services through ICT and its social perversion through developments like Web 2.0 point not only to its relevance for education and training but also to its potential for nurturing creativity and innovation in a more competitive and socially cohesive Europe.

Melanie Hughes @melanieh on Twitter: Online technologies allow for greater connection especially in rural communities web2.0 #ICT means global education is reality, also students have access not only to each other but to experts of all kinds thru #ICT making learning experiences richer.

See the original conversation here & here.

Shane MC Loughlin @glockyboots on Twitter: Human computer interaction needs to be enhansed to fully engage all ones senses, is one avenue. Obviously technologies should enhance and make efficient communication and information sharing in the physical and social world. I guess the growth of e-commerce has the potential to partly dematerialise commerce into virtual and digital consumption.
See the orginal conversation here, here & here

The conversation on this topic, frankly, has moved to the effects of digital technologies rather than the uses of the same… though, kudos to Namrata for outlining a comprehensive framework to reduce e-waste. I would like to talk about another digitally powered movement which has really impressed me.

As many would know, the world’s largest democracy (no, not America) is in the throes of government change through public consensus. I still remember, when I was still running around in my school shorts, that elections used to be a thoroughly single party affair – with the tri-colour flags/badges/banners of the all powerful Indira Gandhi led Congress party had all but an absolutely overpowering majority, not only in our minds but also in the halls of power. Things have changed since then with the rise of local politicians and more parties than Paris Hilton visits in a year, and the debate whether the change has been for the better or worse is still open. (next topic for Unstructure, eh editors?)

In my humble opinion, the country has developed in leaps and bounds in the past decade, surpassing any previous decade by a huge margin – but how much the government has to do with that development is suspect. For all that development, the youth of the country has emerged richer in terms of economic opportunity but poor in political empathy. Voter turnout in the previous two elections was predominantly of an older demographic by age, with a lot of critical seats being decided by voters in rural/semi-urban areas. The latter is to be understood, considering 70% of this country is still in the villages – but the non-involvement of the youth and the urban/educated lot betrayed a social apathetical malaise – which could not bode well for one of the youngest and fastest growing super powers in the world.

Then someone thought, maybe it is just a matter of education, convenience and the right messaging to get the youth back on the democratic track… and thus was born www.jaagore.com. Jaago Re (loosely means “Wake up!”), was started as a cleverly disguised marketing campaign by Tata Tea – one of the largest brands of Tea in India… with the tea acting as a catalyst for the youth ditching their soporific tendencies and registering to vote. When I first saw the commercial on television, I dismissed it as a gimmick. But the campaign continued unabated, with the website serving as the primary channel for anyone to register for voting – and before I knew it more than half a million people had registered to vote for the ongoing elections. And when I finally woke up, where was the first place I went to register to vote? You guessed it – jaagore.com. It was so simple, that  wondered, why hadn’t I done it so far. And I am sure that I wasn’t the only one… in fact a large majority of those half a million awakened people are young, educated and urban.

I think, digital technologies, headlined by the web, will achieve their greatest impact in terms of bringing people together, along with their thoughts and ideas. This is not just social networking, but maybe with digital technologies, just maybe, this world can have one voice – and that itself can be a solution to a lot of our problems today…

I implore each one of you to enjoy the simplicity of Jaagore… it is but a sliver of the impact technology is having on the world today.

To solve the ewaste crisis in a developing country like India we need a multilayered approach that looks at the following:

1. Strengthening the regulatory framework

2. Increasing consumer awareness

3. Developing solutions that focus on an approach of aggregation of existing products.

- Affordability must be key as an expensive solution will not be viable in the light of the economic crisis.

- The solution would need to focus on current and potential customers who would impact current demand and future reuse

- The solution would also need to be economically sustainable.

The strategic framework should also focuses on solutions that take into account all stakeholders.

Involve the Manufacturers - manufacturing companies who import hardware into India need to be involved. While most of them have Green practices world over the India based implementation leaves much to be desired. In addition they are handicapped by poor laws, high cost of e-waste disposal and absence of consumer awareness.

Involve the Consumers - who actually buy the hardware for personal and corporate use. In addition, also look at the potential demand for recycled IT products from the Indian consumers who lie at the bottom of the pyramid.

Involve Entrepreneurs – The solution needs to be mass market and scalable and needs to be driven not by government but by small entrepreneurs who see a commercial motivation to own, deploy and grow the solution

BOP – The solution could be used to tap the potential at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP). The Indian economy has been growing at a steady rate of 8.5-9% over last five years. With the average growth rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 5.8% during the first decade of reforms (1992 -2001), India is among the 10 fastest growing economies in the world (CMIE). But these trends, however positive, are accompanied by a paradox – the ever-looming spectre of the other India of urban poverty and rural inequities, a reality which refuses to go away. A shocking 30-35 % of India’s total population still lives below the poverty line. This is accompanied by low health and nutrition levels, high infant mortality and illiteracy in both urban and rural areas.

Technology can play an important role in transforming India. While one can argue that what the poor need is food, water and electricity more than technology, it is also true that computers and the internet can break barriers of geography which have existed since time immemorial. For India’s poor, computers are not going to be an alternative, they are perhaps the only instrument for progress and growth, a passport to a  better life. (Ref: Transforming Rural India, Rajesh Jain)

The Framework

A simple framework could be to

1. Develop a central repository of all IT technology products available for reuse and recycling. This could function through a transparent web based network that can be accessed by all stakeholders.

2. Train people to collect, refurbish and recycle products.

3. Provide products to the needy. These products can be used to put more power and responsibility in the hands of the local communities by providing them with the right technologies and information needed to make decisions.

- Increase in literacy

- E-services for government interactions

- Computer-enabled education for children

- Programs to upgrade skill sets

- Help in village planning and monitoring

- Microcredit facilities

- Telemedicine

The framework can be termed as Reuse, Recycle, Educate and Earn.

The framework rests on the fundamental platform of social good and strong economic fundamentals, creating employment as well as literacy and growth opportunities to a vast population.

- Creating employment

The e-waste problem can be looked at as an opportunity to create livelihood which includes several stake holders. When viewed in this manner job opportunities can be created at every level in the value chain.

a) Collection teams –  A team of trained resources can be created to collect pc’s, printers and other hardware products that are no longer in use and need to be discarded.

b) Re-generation experts – A set of people who are trained on the products of different hardware suppliers. Once they receive the hardware they will decide to refurbish or discard. The refurbished pc’s will be sent by them to the users. The discarded pc’s will be sent by them to the breakage team which will dismantle them into small component parts like metals, reusable plastic etc.

- Creating literacy and growth

The pc’s that can be reused will be sent across to a central repository of needy children and government educational institutions. The central repository system of demand and supply will be completely transparent. All the pc’s sent across will be at zero cost to the new owner, instead they will have to pay a small monthly fee for support services. Support services will be provided by certified local entrepreneurs.

In addition pc’s can be provided to hospitals, village administrators to maximize opportunities.

- Creating entrepreneurs

No large project can sustain it self purely on the basis of grants it needs to have a viable business model and is based on local enterprise and skill. To ensure the viability of this scheme it is advised that local support staff be developed to ensure that the refurbished pc’s buyers are supported. To ensure quality regular training and measurement needs to be inbuilt into the system. To enable long term success it is proposed that financial institutions that provide micro credit be involved.

Economic value proposition

The framework is supported by three main economic value propositions, one to the manufacture, one to the end consumer and one to the intermediate buyer.

1. Benefits to manufacturers - Independent reuse, recycling business units will no longer be required.

2. Benefits to end BOP consumer - Access to IT products at lower cost, opportunities to learn and grow, access to new revenue streams, Zero cost of ownership, cost of support is less than 1$ a month, opportunities to earn by using the IT infrastructure or by becoming part of the framework

3. Benefits to buyer - Opportunity to dispose products that are not in use, monetization of waste.

Conclusion

A multi dimensional approach to e-waste can help India and other developing countries in not only solving the e-waste problem but establishing a holistic framework for growth and employment generation.

India is the software factory of the world and is the growth engine for hardware providers. Total PC shipments to India during 2007-08 (April-March) were beyond the 8.25 million mark, recording a year on year growth of 22.3 per cent (Source: Mait India). The booming PC market is also leading to a boom in the the total e-waste generation of 330,000 tonnes per year as per the study conducted by IMRB, Mait & GTZ. In addition India is also receiving large amounts of e-waste through trade and illegal imports.

Of the total e-waste, a study found, only about 43.2% finds its way into recycling. An additional 50,000 tonnes is estimated to be illegally imported. Most of this is refurbished and resold, leaving about 19,000 tonnes, representing 5.7% of the total waste, which is processed in the country. (Source: IMRB, Mait & GTZ.)

Most developing countries face similar issues….

Does the solution lie in Recycling, Consumer awareness or Redesign? All these possible solutions only address one of the many issues and collectively fail to highlight something important. IT organizations need to sell information and not stuff!

In addition a unidimensional view that just looks at supply chain or just looks at consumer awareness is not the answer. Instead a circular economy view is required to genuinely create a sustainable environment.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool in tracking all material and energy flows through the entire system. When combined with a Circular Economy perspective it builds true sustainability. The concept of a regenerative or circular economy focuses on the aspects of Zero Waste, Renewable energy and accountability for all materials flowing through the system.

Peter Senge in the Fifth Discipline Workbook defines the Circular Economy as a system which puts natural and man-made systems into interlocking spirals of self supporting growth. To actually implement this a methodology called systems thinking is invoked which looks at  “elements that ‘hang together’ because they continually affect each other over time and operate toward a common purpose”. It is a strategy for a broader view of prosperity and well-being to be pursued in the present. Understanding how systems work and the importance of how they are designed to preventing later problems is key to success.

This approach is particularly interesting as it highlights the most significant challenge that everyone is facing – the one of scarcity of earth resources. We all know that there is only a finite amount of minerals and metals etc that the earth has, a constant trajectory of growth will lead to us hitting the natural boundaries in one area or the other.

If the ICT industry were to focus on its core strengths under the ambit of the Circular Economy flows not only the companies and the consumers but the world at large would benefit. What would be required is genuine Service Innovation to make this a reality. So, is this a pipe dream? A radical way of thinking that hits hard at the very fundamentals of economic growth and Keynesian theory? Perhaps….

However, i know that while it will take time to change the world and the way our industry is structured, we can take small steps to cope with the current challenge of e-waste.

I.Design

a.Design for long term reuse and recycling

b.Reduce hazardous components

c.Build energy efficiency into products

II.Recycle and Reuse

a.Implement mandatory take back policies

b.Increase customer awareness of disposal of hazardous waste

c. Educate IT managers on

i. Measuring power consumption, increasing cooling efficiency

ii. Consuming fewer servers and printers by increasing utilization iii. Extend the life of assets by reusing within the enterprise

iv. Long term service agreements with suppliers

v. Correct disposition of all electronic equipment

II.Business Model

a. Re-think the business model so that the industry focuses on the

customer need for quicker and faster information rather than the need to

offload stuff that has little or no improvements

b.Build systems thinking into the business so that it accounts for all

components of the eco – system that go into building products.

c. Service Innovations that incentivize reuse and recycling

IV.Regulate

a. Ensure that there is strong government legislation that incentivizes and monitors the above changes.

b. Mandatory disclosure policies for companies that sell and that use technology products.

What can developing countries do?

While all the above need to necessarily be done for a long term solution, India and other developing countries need an immediate way of coping with e-waste as well as a long term strategy to ensure that we are no longer playing catch up with a massive inflow of waste. The Strategy also needs to look at a multi-dimensional view of the socio – economic environment, regulatory challenges and the need for balanced growth. I believe that we should focus on a 3 step strategic framework.

Step 1

Develop a business model that focuses on social good and economic value to resolve the e-waste problem

Step 2

Develop a set of implementable laws that ensure compliance to ROHS and Basle agreements.

Step 3

Undertake a mass awareness campaign

While steps 2 and 3 are necessary, they only play an enabling role to Step 1 – which is the formation of a business framework to resolve e-waste and improve the Quality of Life.

Some views & responses gathered on this discussion from other platforms.

Frank Millard, an independent Health Analytics Consultant has stated the following:

Well, there are lots of ways applicable to anywhere:
1. GIS- mapping disease patterns; mapping vulnerable populations; spatial analysis for priority assessment; real-time surveillance; I could write a dissertation on this one alone. Bottom line — where to put services for optimal service access.
2. Automated epidemiology — risk assessment; mortality and morbidity profiles; targeting “hot spots” in conjunction with GIS; another dissertation topic. Bottom line — Determine burden of mortality and morbidity by cause and socioeconomic class.
3. Health improvement as return on investment — actuarial modeling to determine how health improvement has attendant benefits such as reducing costs from disease burden, better child health, family cohesion; and so on. Bottom line — healthy societies produce health people
4. Targeting appropriate services by demographic profiling. Bottom line — for example, do not overly invest in perinatal care services in areas where fertility is low and only 10% of females are of reproductive age
5. Electronic medical records — case histories of individual are available to any provider resulting in better service.

You can see the original response here.

Shashi Brahmankar, Analytics Professional, Healthcare Fraud Modeling has stated the following:

Well planned creation of information base(s) (related to patient, provider, insttn, intermidiaries, health, services, epideemiologies, etc) is the key to any sustainable development in health care services. At the moment health care and its information base – both are at a nascent stage in the emerging nations like India/China. The magnitudes are huge. We have plenty of lessons from the the developed nations. Technology is the key to data, analytics, marketing and targeting of services.

Prioritization and granular specific pieces can be initiated. However, having a larger picture is the key for one to be successful in this sector. We have less than 5 years to go.

You can see the original response here.

Dr. Mubbashir Iftikhar, Director Tech Acquisition & Partnership Development has stated the following

I think, use of Web Technology, can ensure low cost and better service provision form developing world to developed world can provide new areas of revenue streams to developing world and cost cutting measures can improve ailing healthcare in developed world. The scope is immense, from HR, Data management, live hi touch service provision at cost effective basis, providing hard core clinical services through improving computing and web services in telemedicine, et etc, as one can keep counting this scope and it is unending.
Most important thing is true realization of this spectrum at both ends of developed and developing world, G2G sureties to avoid slackness in service provision and reliable source provision at both ends. I am very sure if developed world is interested that developing world can help them to be more prudent and can share some of their good fortunes of wealth will certainly benefit both worlds of developing and developed world.

You can see the original response here.

Kiran Kakarlamudi, Director of Web Services, Duke Health Technology Solutions has stated the following

Watch for applicability of Home Health Care technology strategies for Rural healthcare in India. Especially recent joint venture that is in progress between GE and Intel for telehealth.

You can see the original response here.

Lisa Disselkamp, Principal Consultant on Workforce Management Technology, President Athena Enterprises has stated the following

Look at technology that helps healthcare employers schedule and track their workers effectively and keep track of their activity and attendance in real time. With nothing more than a phone employees can call into a workforce mgmt system – whereever they are servicing patients – and report their activity including services, patient account, location, rate, etc. Labor is going to be the biggest expenditure and has to be carefully managed. These systems give visibility into having the person with the right skill set at the right time and place. Cost can be managed proactively by setting up rules to influence how much employeoes are paid. Also, don’t forget that these systems relieve supervisors of mundane tasks of approving time sheets, creating schedules, etc. and allow them to also focus on patient care. Numerous case studies prove that technology properly deployed improves employee engagement and morale – that’s going to benefit the patient as well.
Look for my new book “No Boundaries – How to use time and labor mgmt technology to win the race for productivity and profits” coming out in June 09. Wiley & Co is planning to produce this book in several languages for a number of international markets. There are numerous case studies and material related to healthcare.

You can see the original response here.

Roshan Shah, Medical Tourism Entrepreneur, CEO, Kosansh.com has stated the following

Huge technology upgradation, improved facilities as the healthcare becomes globalized with Medical Tourism. You can see Health Records shared via net, video consultations, second opinion services, etc. Overall this will save time for patients to take unnecessary trips to doctors thereby saving time, cost, energy, etc.

You can see the original response here.

Juan Bru, Student at UPV has stated the following

Well, ideas exists a lot, but, there are some main issues. First, the lack of ICT infrastructures in those countries. Second, introduce Health ICT in Health world is not that easy, as ICT requires changes in operation, procedures, management…at the end, manage this change becomes a big deal even in developed countries. Even so, I do really think ICT Health can move healthcare services a big step beyond when adopted, especially in developing countries.

You can see the original response here.

Humera Khan, Programmer Analyst at Bruyere Continuing Care has stated the following

The Akshaya telecentre project was born out of a proposal by the members of the local Gram Panchayat in Malappuram district, Kerala, in 2002. As the state government took up the proposal, a district-wide project was launched, in the form of a network of telecentres distributed in such a way that no house was more than 3 km from one telecentre facility. The project was structured in two different phases. The first one, centered on e-literacy, consisted in inviting each household in the district to send a member to the local e-centre for computer training. The second one, aimed at promoting commercial and government applications, consisted in providing specialized e-training on six different areas: data digitization; hardware servicing; finance; multimedia; IT-enabled sector interventions and product sales. As a result of the Akshaya project, 100% family e-literacy was reached in Malappuram district, and this has created the basis for a development strategy to be grounded on increased connection and ICT-based participation (Madon 2005).

Why am I telling this story right here? Because the deployment of the Akshaya telecentre project can be traced and told by the three variables that, in my view, explain the causal connection running from the diffusion of digital technologies to human development. These variables, firstly conceived three years ago by the International Telecommunications Unit (ITU), can be identified by the names of “opportunity”, “infrastructure” and “utilization” (ITU 2006). By opportunity, I mean the set of factors which physically enable digital connection: which means, digital opportunity is positively correlated to the extension of signal coverage, and negatively associated with cost barriers. By infrastructure, I mean the actual ICT infrastructure that is available in a given region or country; infrastructure is positively correlated with the number of ICT facilities in the given area and with their quality level. By utilization, I mean the actual usage of the available ICT facilities; utilization is positively associated with the number of users of ICT in a given region, and with the extent to which they use ICTs for the purpose of local development.

When looked at through the lens of these variables, the Akshaya case shows that telecentres are able to convert opportunity into utilization via infrastructure. By leveraging on the level of digital opportunity in the region, the creators of Akshaya have utilized the enhancement of local ICT infrastructure in order to maximize the level and quality of ICT utilization by the citizens. As such, the project was designed as an integral part of the state’s development strategy: this is because ICT utilization, with the commercial, educational and governmental applications involved, flowed into local human development, generating knowledge spillovers which were to benefit the Malappuram community as a whole. It must be noted here that human development, far from being a mere function of economic capacity, results from all those factors which enable human beings to raise the standards of their life quality: this means, in the words of the UNDP, that “enlarging people’s choices” is the key of the whole human development discourse.

A tentative answer to Roberto’s question may then be, ICTs may help human development “by converting digital opportunity into digital utilization through the means of infrastructure”. This conclusion, illustrated here by the experience of telecentres in Kerala, makes sense in theory for a set of reasons. First, as recently noted by network theorists, the cost of being excluded from the global network increases at an extremely rapid pace – a pace that is even faster than the benefit gained from inclusion (Avgerou 2003). Second, this cost, when shifting from the perspective of economics to the one of human development, is to be measured not only in terms of growth, but also (and predominantly) in terms of the local human capital. Third, the very purpose of ICT utilization – related to the usage of technologies for information and communication – seems to be tailored specifically for countering those features of informational asymmetry, isolation and voicelessness that play a major role in determining poverty outcomes. 

On the other hand, generalizations – resulting in the postulation of a deterministic causality linkage between ICT utilization and development – are the worst enemy of ICT for development (ICT4D) projects (Wade 2002). The success story of Akshaya, rather than being generalized and used as a template for project design, should be put in relation to the context in which the project was born and implemented. The establishment of trust relations between the stakeholders involved, enhanced by the role of the “political champions” that were instrumental in determining such a high level of participation, is not easily replicable and must not be taken as given. The economic sustainability of the project, backed by the sate government and its dedicated ICT agencies, per se cannot explain the success of the project: if social and political sustainability issues were neglected, the participation of the local population would hardly be guaranteed. A narrow vision of ICT4D project sustainability, focused on wholly-financial and managerial indicator, is the reason behind the failure of a wide set of projects, which neglected the perceived usefulness of the proposal to the people.

Roberto’s question is mechanical in nature: he does not ask “if” or “under which conditions” ICTs are likely to foster human development. He asks “how” this happens, and my answer, centered on the three-pronged taxonomy of opportunity, infrastructure and utilization, attempts to identify one of the mechanisms through which ICT-induced development can occur. However, the conversion of opportunity into utilization through infrastructure may have limited impact on human development, if social sustainability is taken as given: the financial health of development projects does not automatically imply a high degree of perceived usefulness.

References

Avgerou, C. (2003) The link between ICT and economic growth in the discourse of development.  In Organizational information systems in the context of globalisation, edited by M. Korpela, R. Montealegre, and A. Poulymenakou, Kluwer Academic Publishers.

International Telecommunication Unit (2006), World Information Society Report, http://www.ifap.ru/library/book084.pdf (accessed March 27th, 2009)

Madon, S. (2005) Governance Lessons from the Experience of Telecentres in Kerala, European Journal of Information Systems, 14, 4, pp. 401-417.

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In 2004 UNESCO commissioned the “Study on Best Practices in ICT-based Education”. 7 (Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, India, Mexico, Pakistan and the People’s Republic of China) of the E9 countries participated in the Study.

Some of the findings of the study are:

Educational policy and practice

Educational policy and practice have generally remained a neglected area for policy makers and planners in most countries. This is particularly so with regard to South East Asia (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh). The commitment and investment of this region in adult literacy programmes has not been commensurate with the massive problem of adult illiteracy faced. This region is still struggling to expand primary and secondary education and to address quality issues. Consequently, these priorities take precedence over considerations such as those relating to adult illiteracy.

Lack of infrastructure

Country studies from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt and China indicate that an obstacle to the use of ICT in literacy education is underdeveloped infrastructure. Some of the problems include lack of reliable electricity supply, lack of telephone lines and low bandwidth capacity. These factors have severely constrained the use of ICT in literacy education, even in schools. Other associated factors, such as a lack of technical and maintenance personnel also constrain the extent to which ICT can bring benefits to literacy education.

Funding and sustainability issues

In countries such as India and Bangladesh literacy programmes are often initiated by NGOs. However, these projects are by and large small-scale pilot projects, which rely on intermittent funding. As a result, as pilot projects, they become a major cause for quality initiatives not being sustained. It is important that well-designed, good quality literacy programmes receive secure funding to provide sustainable benefit.

Problems of perception

Some countries see ICTs as an add-ons to the education system. In other words, there is little recognition that ICT can be used to supplement and complement the conventional education delivery system or processes, or that they can be used to improve the quality of teacher training programs. As a result, few teachers have been provided with training on how to integrate ICT into the teaching/learning process.

Lack of trained educators

Several country reports highlight the scarcity of teachers trained in the use of ICT for literacy education. Some studies also reveal a negative attitude among educational personnel towards the use of ICT, particularly when the use of technology involves changes to their work routines.

These findings indicate that for ICT to be utilized successfully in literacy education, it is necessary for teachers to become aware of the potential for ICT to enhance their teaching and reduce their workloads. This understanding would provide teachers with the motivation to learn computers and software tools and to learn how to integrate ICT into teaching.