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Computer literacy

19 May 2005, 18:00 PM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By Toufiqur Rahman Oklahoma USA
19 May 2005, 18:00 PM
We can improve our computer literacy in our schools by introducing old computers that have a lower speed (100-900MHZ) compared to the current ones. These computers are probably the cheapest if available. They are worth less than $100 in the US. If the government could purchase these computers and place them in all villages and districts of our country, it could help the young generation attain a good computer literacy. It would also improve their linguistic skills . The government can perhaps introduce computer courses that would be made "required" in our curriculum. This way even the poorest rural area would have access to today's

information technology. The schools throughout our country could communicate, share information, display results of the examinations of its students through a website.

The students could also gain programming skills necessary for software development. It would change the social behaviour of many as they would know how to better organise things, create a better plan, model real-life situations on the computers. I promise you, over a small period the whole IT sector of our country could be raised to a level where India currently stands. This would also invite FDI such as call centres, to provide customer services for goods manufactured by different companies abroad. The software market could be boosted up which would eventually increase our GNP. This development of computer literacy would be very cheap since old Pentium-1 is available for less than $100 here in the US and even some of them are just thrown in the dumpster. And considering the number of public schools in our country, the cost factor could be significantly low.

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I would like the education ministry to consider this idea.