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Kathmandu Saturday January 27, 2001 Magh 14, 2057.
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Kenneth Keniston, IT conference & digital
divide
KATHAMNDU, Jan 26 - The ongoing CAN Info Tech 2001 in many respects is far
better than the past Info Techs organized by the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN). One
of the factors that makes the event different from those held previously is the two-day
Information Technology (IT) conference being participated in by 250 plus techno-minds from
South Asia and other countries, which is a common platform for discussions and
deliberations between IT-savvy scholars, professionals and businessmen.
The conference also offers an opportunity to participants to share their
knowledge and experiences and explore new avenues in this fastest growing industry. It
will also provide a forum for sharing success stories and using IT for the consolidated
development of the nation.
The conference comprises keynotes, intense vertical tracks, in-depth
technology, business management and governance-focused sessions and covering issues
surrounding information and communications technologies. It will have six-tracks,
including IT in developing Countries, IT for Better Quality of Life, Breaking the ICE
(Information, Communication and Entertainment) Technology, IT Human Resources, Virtual
University, IT-enabled Services and IT Investment Opportunities in Nepal.
Kenneth Keniston, Director of the MIT-India Program and Professor of Human
Development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the keynote speaker of the IT
conference is presenting a paper on the Digital Divide. Keniston is of the opinion that
the ever-widening digital divide is not a problem in itself, rather it is a reflection of
the existing problems. Keniston spoke to Ram Sharan Sedhai of The Kathmandu Post.
Excerpts:
TKP: How can IT help the underprivileged?
KK: Well, by giving computer training and allowing people to
search for information, even the illiterate rural poor will be able to benefit from the
technology. Gyandoot, messenger of knowledge, a project in Andhrapradesh, India, has
connected around 15 villages with computers with their own web sites, where the literacy
rate is 30 per cent. Yet they are using the technology for finding better prices for
agricultural produce, searching for government job, asking the local administrator for
necessary amenities like a drinking water supply and so on.
This has not only brought change to their lives, but has also empowered
women.
TKP: You mean the same can be done in Nepal?
KK: Yes. It is applicable in a Nepali context as well.
TKP: But what about language?
KK: Yes, language could be a problem in the absence of
software and the local content is equally essential.
TKP: We need IT, but we also need to fulfill the basic necessities of a
larger section of the population with very limited resources. Under such conditions, what
do you suggest?
KK: It would be dangerous to put such an emphasis on IT that
the basic necessities of the majority people are neglected. I don’t believe IT is the
most important thing for Nepal given the present situation.
TKP: Then Nepal has no IT potential?
KK: No. I do not mean that. If you have young, educated
people, training opportunities, positive policy and an environment conducive to IT-enabled
services, Nepal can benefit from the technology. Countries like Singapore, Malaysia and
Israel have been reaping the benefits of the IT. So too can Nepal. But the basic thrust
should be on fulfilling the basic necessities of the general public, if not, the digital
divide will be a serious problem.
TKP: How do you define the digital divide?
KK: It is the difference between people having access to
global information and those having no access to it.
TKP: How many kinds of digital divides are there?
KK: Primarily there are three. One between the rich, who
have access to information, and the poor, who have no access to information. The second is
the linguistic divide, especially between the English-speaking and the
non-English-speaking people. The third is between the rich and the poor countries.
TKP: What do you suggest to minimize the gap?
KK: Okay, the solution to the
problem is to make the information accessible to those who have no access now. But for
this you need to develop an infrastructure, develop software in your local language and of
course, above all increase the literacy rate. Similarly, you also need resources. But the
irony is that resources available for one purpose are not available for another.
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