Dear All - "Opportunity index" and "economic advantage" are different from the "economic equality" and "economic divide". My clarification follows as below - I kept “context” into view while commenting on “economic divide” or knowledge divide. Two separate cases were considered – one for First world and second for third world. We can compare apple with apple and hence when we talk about “economic divide”. It need be with reference to the threshold of poverty of that specific country and not with any other country or region. “Economic divide” was referred in context to people below poverty line who are unable to meet their daily basic needs, and not as a measurement for “economic advantage or disadvantage”. Local reference is more rational and practicable bench marks for assessing gaps and divides then the regional or global references. Nothing will come out except misery and helplessness if we start taking global reference as bench mark for assessment of local economic/knowledge or digital divides. Fortunate’s are those who achieve or attain “academic advantages” in their respective countries as education is basic necessarily for any thing and every thing in the life. Opportunity index is entirely different issue. However when the question of employment comes - Majority of educated people would work for their own countries using what ever opportunities are there around them. Comparing local opportunities with global opportunities may not be relevant here. I feel – we need to focus more on “economic equality” in “economically divided society” in local context then “economic advantage” in global context.
R K Dave, SMIEEE Strategist & Expert (ICT & Disaster Management) www.AdvisorICT.com --- On Tue, 8/12/08, Taran Rampersad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: From: Taran Rampersad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [DDN] The Digital Divide and Human Health To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" <[email protected]> Date: Tuesday, August 12, 2008, 7:04 AM Paperless Homework wrote: > The key to close the economic divide is through Education. Without Education, the > economic divide is very difficult unless someone found "oil " in his/her backyard. > This is the direction by which our project AGE ( www.paperlesshomework.com ) is driving at. > > Second important factor is “knowledge divide” as in some cases (of course > rare) I have seen even with affluent suffers due to lack of knowledge. > I do not totally agree. Education is one of the keys to the economic divide, but the main driving force - in my eyes - is opportunity. You can educate a child in Africa on how to use a computer, but that by itself does not give the child an economic advantage. In fact, it could be the opposite - creating frustration where there is lack of opportunity. So maybe education and opportunity together. > Reply: > Exactly. This happens mostly in rural areas where technology finds wanting to reach. > This is exactly the main challenge that we are able to overcome to reach out to the rural > (and URBAN poor). In order to use Techonolgy to increase knowledge not only in literacy, we had > an idea of using technology and everyday class lessons to impart such knowledge into the most > important sector of society...the children. We actually have a couple (not enough though ..need volunteers) > to teach health through English comprehension or exercises. We call it "Learning English through Anti-smoking" or Anti drugs etc > > When the young has in ingrained with such knowledge unconsciously, the form a very powerful ambassadors for Anti-smoking lobbies. No weapon and no money you can spend can be more powerful than that. That is exactly our intention, once we have partners around the world to indulge in. So far though we have none. We are on our own. > It is a very effective tool. Historical precedents are far reaching on this. The only negative that comes to mind is Hitler's use of it. Double edged sword, too. > ...In the end, with better education, the children became professionals and went on to a quality life. > If everyone is a professional, who shall grow the food? This I do not understand. We can educate everyone better - and afford everyone better opportunities - but we need to protect and cherish the aspects of humanities needs. The status of farmers in society should increase with rising food prices. Has the education? Maybe. Has the opportunity? Maybe. > This is very unlike many societies we know forced their children to perpectual poverty by not going to schools to help out their fathers to earn a pittance . > But going to schools to earn a pittance on the global scale does the same, and deprives the child of the father. So there is a balance there. > That is why today, in the entire South East Asia, Chinese are dominant in Business and almost every profession after a few decades. > Well, there is the small matter of being permitted to do a lot of things by trade partners despite human rights issues. Collectively, the world has a very large say in why any nation has prosperity or not. > So in similar tones, if we can reach out to the rural poor or urban poor, good contents to study, that would be the first step to close the digital divide. If we go on doing what most of the world is doing using impractical technologies for many projects, the UNESCO'S prodiction of missing the target 2015 will come to pass. > I believe that this is a good step, but I am also realistic about the results. It is good to expose everyone to technology, etc., but at the end of the day every individual will tailor the use of the technologies available to them. That is not a bad thing. It can be a good thing. > -- Taran Rampersad Presently in: San Fernando, Trinidad [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.knowprose.com http://www.your2ndplace.com Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ "Criticize by creating." — Michelangelo "The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine." - Nikola Tesla _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
