Computer literacy for the masses

BY EMPHASISING THE importance of computer literacy, the Union Information Technology Minister, Mr. Pramod Mahajan, has considerably enhanced the present challenges facing the nation's policy-makers. That political leaders of the day recognise the importance of spreading computer education marks a welcome change in the nation's drawing up of priorities for the future. Yet, there are several hurdles to be overcome to make a success of the suggestion to make IT education compulsory at the school level. To start with, it will be important to realise that India's performance in the field of education has been one of the more disappointing aspects of the post-Independence development strategies. The failure on this count has rightly drawn the attention of the Approach Paper to the Tenth Five Year Plan. While there has, no doubt, been an appreciable increase in overall literacy levels, up from 24.9 per cent in 1951 to 65.38 per cent in 2001, much remains to be done in the area of school education. As the Approach Paper rightly points out, of the approximately 200 million children in the age group of six to 14, only 120 million are in schools and net attendance at the primary level is only 66 per cent. Correcting this is a prerequisite.

There is yet another hurdle that is likely to come up: that of finding financial resources. Yet, as much as it is important to find the financial resources and to improve the performance at the level of school education, the present shortfalls on these fronts must not be held as reasons to shelve plans for spreading computer literacy. For, moves to reach the extremely desirable situation should not be delayed citing difficulties in attainability. Much of the success of the plans to provide universal computer education will be determined by the resourcefulness of the national policy-makers as well as the innovations that can be brought in at lower levels: by State and local education authorities, by individual school managements, the corporate sector and by civil society. Clearly, the important task of providing education requires the support of a wide section of society.

There is yet another imbalance that requires correction: the existing digital-divide in India's society. By all indications, access to computers is largely both urban and English language- centric, resulting in millions of Indians being left out of the ongoing IT revolution. If there has been one invention that has changed the face of the computer age, it has been the advent of the Internet. Given the spread of the Internet and its potential to make education an interesting experience, there exists a simultaneous challenge of improving Internet accessibility and usage. In the Indian context, as non-urban connectivity is a weak link, widening this segment will have to be given priority. In a strategy to broaden the usage of the Internet and make it a supportive tool, policy-makers will do well to recognise the differences between the requirements of high-end users and those who need to be providing basic facilities. The possibilities of utilising the existing telecom network, with technical modifications, should be explored to make rural exchanges Internet-compatible. Yet another hurdle is the language on the Internet. If Internet usage is to be more meaningful, the medium of the net will also have to move towards Indian languages. Simultaneously, the efforts should also be on developing content that will facilitate education, especially for the millions of children who will have to get acquainted with not just the three Rs but also the complexities of the computers as well. Clearly, providing for universal computer literacy is a tall order for the nation. It is also a challenge worth accepting.

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