Guyana Observer News

Let’s not play cheap politics with a critical developmental strategy

Sunday, 22 August 2010

By Dr.Richard Van West-Charles

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The announcement by President Jagdeo that the government will be expending some US$30 million for the purchase of computers to be distributed must be looked at with a jaundiced eye. First it begs the questions what goal is he trying to achieve. We do know that there is an International Programme founded by Nicloas Negroponte of MIT called One Lap top per child which is not a laptop project but an education project whose mission empowers the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. No one can fault any initiative for providing access to information and to make education for the world’s children a priority, not a privilege. It is an important developmental activity but in so doing one must ensure that the investment gives you the best bang for the buck.

Clearly as a developing country Guyana must seek to embrace the principle of equity. We do know that there is a shortage of teachers in a number of subjects hence our children in villages adjacent to each other are unable to access the same level and quality of instruction. Hence the preparation of our children in government sponsored schools is unequal and children who are writing CXC either have go to seek private tuition or be confined to mediocrity by the system or postpone their individual objective.
If one considers the secondary schools which are located between Camp Street and Vlissingen Road viz Queen’s College, North Georgetown; Tutorial High School; Richard Ishmael Secondary and St Joseph’s High School there is a shortage of science teachers. Yet these schools are all government schools, the children are all Guyanese, they are all preparing to write the same examination with the same curriculum and yet with our eye on the technology we are unable to achieve some degree of equity of access to afford our young citizens the support needed for success at the CXC examination.
We need to ask the question how many of our children had the desire to write or study science subjects but could not have done so due to the lack of access?
What could easily have been done was to ensure that all of these schools would have access to the computers, broadband and other supporting equipment which would provide the equitable access to tuition in schools where there are no teachers. But of course that is an assumption that the principle of equitable access is embraced by the government.
But if one assumes that the goal of the President’s initiative is one of access to information or more specifically equitable communication for everyone then we would have been witnessing a different approach. The attainment of equitable communication would be seen in a framework which would address the following as stated by ITU we would not only hear of US$30 million, but the following critical components would have been announced.
Accessible design: Accessibility has to be built in into products and services from the very beginning.
Availability: Accessible products and services must be on hand to users.
Affordability: Access to products and services must be reasonable.
Additionally the commitment to equitable communication would have been bolstered by a policy which would have made it possible to have more radio stations and television stations. For example, the denial of Lindeners to have access to information, which other citizens enjoy.
While we also hear of the increased access to the internet by GT&T and other preferred providers, one must remember that there is an economic barrier which makes it difficult for many Guyanese to be able to access information which can impact and improve their daily lives.
Hence we must learn form the initiatives of UNESCO which sought to provide public access in communities to information by citizens. The examples of Ecuador and Kerala in India have demonstrated the power of information and its impact on the lives of people generally but more specifically young citizens in the communities.
Hence for all of this to happen there must be a clearly defined policy and a programme which spells out and supports the principle of equitable access to information and communication. Let’s not play cheap politics with a critical developmental strategy. I say to the President make a change and seek to achieve greater allocative efficiency, by ensuring that the US$30 million dollars is spent effectively with the objective of attaining equitable access to information and communication.

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