The power of aspiration is truly unbeatable. The hope that parents kindle of their children growing up to a better reality than themselves, and the hope shared by all kids that they will in fact be able to achieve their wildest dreams is able to drive small communities to unimaginable heights. The small north Indian town of Bihar is a quintessential example of the power of aspiration.
When I think of Bihar India, I conjure up the traditional image of India as a toxic cloud of pollutants, a gray cloud of humidity coinciding with astronomical temperatures up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit, undrinkable water, and tens of millions living on an income of less that one dollar per day. But now India has grown so much and among this great poverty exist the most modern plentitude including five star hotels, a sizable middle class, gleaming office towers, and some the of the worlds most advanced high tech firms. Bihar is a city of blaring contradictions between what exists and what could be made possible primarily through the use of technology by the masses. The gap between what many term the "two faces of India" is astute, between the haves who are journeying through Europe and providing good educations for their children, to the have nots who have barely been able to give their children two decent meals a day. Experts have studied and studied the developmental question of how to bridge the gap between these two groups and one expert Sugata Mitra believes he has found the answer: technology. He decided to tackle this technological inequality through his hole in the wall project which started in Bihar but is mirrored in cities across India and the developing world.
The hole in the wall project is based on the theory that if computers are provided to children they will be able to teach themselves computer literacy. Mitra, essentially put a high speed computer connected to the internet in a hole in the wall of the slum and see how kids reacted to it. The results were truly amazing in that children were making discoveries and propagating the information to other students illustrating the power peer influence on learning. Reading through articles about this project made me realize what an amazing impact that these hole in the wall computers made on society. Not only did these computers enable kids to develop computer literacy on their own, but also it gave the creators of the kiosk huge amounts of valuable real world information about how the kiosk work best and how they are actually used.
Despite this, I believe that the power of these computers was less about teaching the children computer literacy, and more about allowing them to establish some sort of connection with the outside world beyond the slum. The computer provided a window for them to see what was possible, it allowed them to learn information about the world that there is no way they would have even had access to without technology. The computers allowed the kids to dream about the outside world, and acknowledge that there was something bigger out there beyond of the slum; it gave them each a glimmer of hope. This is why when people say, "Why are we giving these kids computers, they don't even have basic food and water," I can honestly say that the computers give something valuable to the kids almost as essential as food and water. Poverty has two definitions, there is a poverty of materials, and a poverty of information and the same method can't be used to solve the two types. It is clear that the world has spent billions of dollars over the past decade attempting to solve the issue of material poverty, and has little to show for it. Thus, it may be time that we turn our attention to the case of information poverty and provide people with the resources so that maybe in the future they will be able to solve the problem of material poverty on their own. By giving computers specifically for the use of kids it is clear that Mitra is investing in the future of the country and hopefully by providing kids with the skills they will be able to go on to come up with solutions to modern problems in the context of their own country much better than any solution thought of by an outsider.
In India particularly there is a strong belief in the power of the education system and technological education is no different. It has always been astounding to me that my relatives who live in India, though not even middle class find a way to provide a computer for each of their sons. Their house is two rooms, my grandparents living in one and my uncle aunt and two cousins sleeping in the family room, yet in the corner of the family room sits two computers. When I asked my uncle why he would be willing to scrimp on everyday necessities to give kids their own computers, he told me confidently that the computers are the future. My investing in computers he is investing in his kids, he wanted to give each of his kids a computers so that they could develop a connection to the technology and take ownership of it. He believed that the computer is a source of inspiration about what is possible and this inspiration and aspiration is critical for success. The computers clearly have worked since my cousins are fluent in three languages and after only a year of using their computers literally know them inside out, a skill vital for success in the real world. They both dream of becoming computer science engineers and I can attest that having the computer allowed them to believe that they can do this. Additionally, I noticed that the computers became hubs for their friends as well. In only sixth grade, they all gather around the computer playing together making discoveries that benefit many of the kids in the complex. Just one computer propagates vast amounts of information across areas. Unlike food that can feed one mouth for one day, the computer creates a pool of information that can be shared my multiple people and could possibly be used in the future to feed the mouths of millions.
Therefore, developed countries need to show faith in the future of these developing countries and solve the issue of the dearth of information available in these countries. The argument is made by these countries that are they less deserving of the technology to access information? In America they are trying to provide laptops for every child to solve the education disparity that exists, but why wouldn't this strategy work in developing countries by at least providing computers to one in every ten to twenty children where results are clearly outstanding. The hole in the wall project is the first step and it needs to be expanded throughout developing nations as a leap of faith that by giving them to tools, these countries can solve their own problems.
However, a key problem that is to be noted is the gender gap in technological literacy. Oftentimes, boys have the upper hand in access to this technology even when it is just in a public place either through their own will or even the will of the community. It is essential that the developed countries providing computers do not let it widen the knowledge gap between the sexes and create a heightened sense of inequality. Rather a computer could be a tool to advance girls who are often given inferior educations and resources especially in rural communities. These computers would show girls that the world has faith in them as well, that they too should be inspired to dream big and expand their knowledge base beyond that of the slum. In one community in order to ensure girls received equal access to the hole in the wall computer, that previously was being used 85 percent of the time by boys, often on instruction of there parents, the school created different schedules for boys and girls to have their recess where the hole in the wall computer was so that the girls could in fact have the time to explore the computer in an environment where they felt safe, without the peer pressure of males. This idea could be expanded by strategically places these computers in places of high concentrations of women such as Women's Health Centers, and marketplaces. I firmly believe that technology and access is the key of creating an empowerment among women so that they themselves are able to lift themselves out of poverty.
Additionally, computers are quite expensive the same effects may be achieved through the distribution of mobile phones, for a fraction of the price. As elucidated in the article, "Phone vs Laptop," phones may be the future of developmental technology. They are smaller than the laptop and soon will be able to store just as much information. The mobile phone provides the same outlet to the outside world as a laptop and is a more technologically advanced and economical choice. Providing mobile phones to the children of the slums may have favorable results that help not only by giving these kids one on one contact and connection with the technology, but also bringing them the future of technology.
A small hole in the wall may very well be the key to solving the most potent economic, pollution, inequality and health problems in developing country- not by providing material resources but through information and the knowledge that the world believes that if they aspire to fix their problems they will surely be able to. The power of aspiration is infinite.
No comments:
Post a Comment