Friends: Community ownership and public good approach are being practised in the information village research project of the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation in India for the past nearly ten years. Technology costs money and most people in rural India cannot afford to buy computers and get connected. But if all of them can share a common facility - a knowledge centre - the problem can be overcome.
The MSSRF project has led to many benefits for the local people. Including women empowerment, improved livelihood opportunities, greater awareness and self confidence. The people are bringing out their own community newspaper (twice a month). They produce their own radio programmes under the guidance of a retired veterinary doctor. They share indigenous and traditional knowledge and culinary notes with people in six African countries through the Open Knowledge Network, thought of by Peter Armstrong of OneWorld. This is nothing new. My own education was largely supported by state fundsnvested on my education was a small part of the total costs. That goes for most Indians even today, including the many thousands living and working in the USA, Canada and other advanced countries. That is what Gandhi (Anthyodaya and trusteeship) and Ruskin (unto the last) stood for. What we cannot achieve individually, we can achieve collectively. It is indeed obscene to expect EVERYONE to pay for services in a country where 26% of people live below poverty line and a good proportion of people are illiterate and one sixth of the population is outside the 'caste system' (despite all well-meaning laws in favour of treating everyone equal). Prof. Negroponte thinks it will be good if every school child has a computer at home. Nothing wrong. It is good to test his ideas on the ground. Most Indians who have made a big difference to the IT industry in Silicon Valley and elsewhere never had a computer at home. They all went to average computer training schools where they had a few hours at the terminal every week against payment. In the villages of Pondicherry, a few thousand villagers have acquired some proficiency in using computers through training programmes provided by the knowledge centres set up with MSSRF's help. Hardly anyone has a computer at home. And the Pondicherry model can be much more cost effective. Arun [Subbiah Arunachalam] > Imagine a village, in Africa perhaps, where 200 literates are ready to use > computers. > > Their average yearly income is $300 US. > > Forcing the "personal computer" solution--even when the $100 computer > becomes a reality-- requires that each family pay one-third of its annual > income for the device. > > Service and maintenance and the other costs associated with perosnal > computer eats further into tthe meager family budget. > > $20,000 US for computer plus related expenses: an invitation unlikely to > happen quickly, a slow and painful way to cross the digital divide. > > The "social computer" alternative: > > The village association or cooperative purchases 20 computers at $100, for > $2000 US. Each villager who wants to use the computers pays an annual fee: > say $25. Such a fee pays for the cost of the computers plus a sum for > maintenance and service and other related expenses. > > Even $25 is difficult for a family living on $300. > > In the light of the history of squandered donor aid in the Third World, > Negroponte's notion of having governments buy and distribute the computers > to families seems like an invitation to more of the same. > > The analogy to the public library (or the public school, or the public > road, > or the public water supply) is this: if 200 people who cannot afford to > buy > the book have access to 10or 20 copies of the book, all can read it, even > though they may have to wait a bit. This is not a socialist fantasy, but > a > proven social response to human needs. > > Perhaps the best metaphor for the social approach to the digital divide is > the bridge, the public bridge across any divide. > > The bridge allows many to cross the divide, although they may have to wait > a > bit for their turn. > > The social computer allows many to enjoy the benefits of the new > communication technologies, to cross the digital divide before they can > afford to cross it on their own. > > Steve Eskow > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Taran > Rampersad > Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2005 8:58 AM > To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group > Subject: Re: [DDN] A Littl' More On Bridging the Digital Divide in the > US > > > Dr. Steve Eskow wrote: > >>My own hunch is that leaping the stage of "the social computer" and >> moving >>immediately to "the personal computer" is an invitation to failure. >> >> > Well, if you think in terms of computers, I can understand that hunch. > But a network of computers is a separate thing; a 'social computer' is > also a computer that allows social networking by allowing access to > others across a network. So if people have personal PCs to join the > network, then I don't see how there can be a failure. > >>Unless the computers never need servicing, never get infected. >> >> > By these criteria, mankind would not have grown crops. They will always > need servicing. There will always be security issues. But people adapt. > >>Unless the computers are never given to the home without local and free >>servicing made available. >> >> > I am vehemently against 'free' servicing. I do believe, however, that > costs can be lower. > >>Unless free and ongoing instruction in their use is made available to >>parents as well as students. >> >> > It's available in many guises, and will continue to be. > >>Unless the computers are solar powered or hand cranked. >> >> > Solar might be better. The less moving parts, the better. > >>A social setting for shared use of computers-- a school, a library, a >>church, a community center--allows for instruction and servicing. Each >> user >>of such a computer as the Simputer can have his or her own card that >> allows >>for personal use of a shared device. >> >> > Let's not forget another social setting: The Internet. Sure, it's not a > bunch of people in the same room, but then would you really want to > share a room with me, Steve? > >>The arrival of the low cost paper back book did not make the library >>obsolete. >> >> > No. It didn't. > >>The arrival of television did not make the shared technology known as the >>school obsolete. >> >> > It depends on how you consider 'obsolete'. But I'm sure that television > was only a factor in what I consider modern education. I also fault top > heavy administrative spending on administration, in which I will enjoy > Metzger's company. Bigger buildings and more administrative staff does > not a better school make. And as such, neither will forcing people to > group together to form an basic 'social computer'. A web server is a > social computer, you said so yourself a while back. > > People will meet. People will get together. It's the nature of people. > Perhaps we should let people choose how to interact with each other. At > least, we could offer our species some dignity. > > -- > Taran Rampersad > Presently in: San Fernando, Trinidad > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://www.knowprose.com > http://www.easylum.net > http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/Taran > > Coming on January 1st, 2006: http://www.OpenDepth.com > > "Criticize by creating." Michelangelo > > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org > http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with > the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > > > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org > http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
