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Hi
All, In the ICTD area, there is a major trend of large ICT companies (software, hardware, content and telecom monopolies or oligopolies) trying to influence policies for their narrow business interests (e.g. selling proprietary software or licensed content), to the detriment of public interest. Such influencing is often done in the name of ‘technology expertise’ or through ‘public private partnership' route. This is the reason that no other ‘development’ sector has an even a fraction of the number of mega-events that are held in the ICTD area. Often such illegitimate influence by these companies is done through ‘NGOs’ with who they may have close links in many different ways, including financial. Indian government is drafting an ICT in schools policy at present. An early drafting group had representatives of vendors such as Microsoft, NIIT, Educomp and Intel in it. On protests (including from my organization, IT for Change, along with a many other educationists), a new drafting committee was set up without these vendors. However, the policy process is apparently still being driven in important ways by organisations and NGOs who have little expertise in India’s education system or in the education domain, and are closely associated with many technology vendors having a strong stake in the policy outcomes. Such outsourcing of India’s education policy is being protested by us along with reputed educationists and education institutions. Times
of India (Delhi) has carried an article today criticising the
outsourcing of public policy to vested interests-see -- Vinay Sreenivasa IT for Change 91-98805-95032 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://itforchange.net http://india.is-watch.net/ http://is-watch.net
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