IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The official launching of the first Bangladesh-assembled laptop "Doel", named after the country's national bird, has suddenly opened up the vista of limitless possibilities. Laptops and notebooks -also computers of lower capabilities, when made available to people, particularly to students from an early stage, can bring about a sea-change in the dissemination or spread of information and knowledge. Sure enough, the first condition is to acquire the aptitude and skill for e-literacy to have access to the wide world of information and knowledge. So, mere production or setting up of an assembly line is no guarantee for digitalising education, administration and social connectivity. There is a need for mastering the skill for handling the technology well and coming in terms with the flow of information and using the most relevant sets from it.

Sure enough, production of computers or for that matter laptops, with built-in WiFi for connection with any kind of internet modem provides for a giant leap forward in terms of technology. But the four models of Doel, of which cheaper varieties are notebooks and the advanced versions are laptops, cannot be said to be cheaper enough for students from financially weak backgropunds to afford. If the purpose is to pull down the digital divide, there is a need for making high-performing computers available to all the educational institutions in towns and villages. If a school has an adequate number of such computers, students can make good use of the wonder machine under the guidance of their teachers. There is no point at this stage to provide them with personal sets of computers or laptops. By the time students enter colleges, they are expected to handle computer better and make good use of their academic knowledge available through computer.

What is important is to prepare the ground for e-learning and e-governance. Whatever may be the motive behind the manufacturing of laptops by a public company, it is important to know if the effort facilitates the access of the disadvantaged segment of students to the technology. On that count actually depends the e-learning by the majority and the gradual development of their computer skill, an indispensable ingredient for making a digital Bangladesh. There is no alternative to quality education; and computer or laptops alone will be a poor substitute unless proper guidance is there. All modern technologies have their plus and minus points; it depends how those are used. To avoid the negatives associated with the use of the information and communication technology (ICT), some checks and balance have to be there at the early stage or its abuse can prove dangerous for the impressionable minds.

Last but not least, the government policy regarding the distribution of computers or laptops among educational institutions has to be clear and all-comprehensive enough. Inclusion of ICT in school syllabi and its proper education will actually decide the course towards a well-equipped digital Bangladesh. It is a challenge, no doubt but the challenge is worth taking.

---

Quelle/Source: The Financial Express Bangladesh, 14.10.2011

Bitte besuchen Sie/Please visit: