Moving towards an IT-literate society

We will be observing the International Literacy Day on Thursday this week. As usual the event will focus attention on worldwide literacy issues and needs. It is estimated that 860 million of the world's adults yet do not know how to read or write and that more than 100 million children lack access to education.

We, Sri Lankans are a more fortunate lot. Overall, at the national level our literacy rate is in a very good shape. Yet we do have a bleak side of the coin also. As Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse said recently, "Although Sri Lanka has a 90 per cent literacy rate, they are poor in their IT literacy and latest reports say IT literacy in Sri Lanka is 9.8 percent."

In fact in Colombo IT literacy is 20 percent and in other parts of the country, particularly the rural sector, it is less than 3 per cent

When developments in IT are advancing at a rapid pace throughout the world, it is strange that Sri Lanka is still exploring ways to promote and popularize IT education. Many institutions in the private sector and in the public sector, have explored, experimented and launched various projects to promote IT education beyond Colombo. The latest one is e-Sri Lanka Project implemented by ICTA of Sri Lanka. This initiative which costs Rs. 8300 million encompasses a five-pronged strategy and sets out a national ICT Roadmap.

Many efforts have focused in the past on what has become known as 'computer literacy'. In common parlance this term means the ability to use a few computer applications. For example, it often refers to the ability to use a spreadsheet and word processor and to search the World Wide Web for information. Computer literacy normally has a skills connotation and implies a rote learning of software and hardware.

In simple terms, computer literacy sees IT merely as a very clever set of tools which can be used to perform tasks more quickly and more efficiently.

As such it misses the point of the potential of IT to be exploited to provide opportunities for new and as yet undreamed of applications.

By contrast, 'IT literacy' requires that persons understand information technology broadly enough to be able to apply it productively at work and in their everyday lives, to recognize when information technology would assist or impede the achievement of a goal.

A process of lifelong learning is needed which allows individuals to continually apply what they know, to adapt to change and to acquire more knowledge so that they are more able to apply IT. In developed countries training in IT Literacy skills is very often integrated in the curriculum of Primary and secondary courses as a special IT literacy course which is added to the existing curriculum, either as a required course or as an optional one.

Another approach is a disciplinary approach in which IT literacy is integrated in the teaching of the specific discipline. This is particularly successful in the less technical disciples. A number of examples can be given of this approach: the use of spreadsheets by economics students to create economic models; the design of a history database to answer complex questions in history; the use of word processing, spreadsheets, graphics and presentation software by humanities and business students, and so on.

The future citizens' IT literacy and their e-learning environment are important factors to a nation's competitiveness in the information age.

Therefore, it's time the Ministry of Education devote more effort and energy for the promotion of IT usage in schools. I believe the Ministry should prioritize the cultivation of e-generation talents as one of its key projects. There are few things they must do if we are to reach our goal.

They must invite teachers, scholars and related organisations to work together for the development of e-learning content, teaching material, technical support, platform construction and maintenance, and to assist schools in remote areas.

They must develop e-learning content in primary and secondary schools and set up learning networks in life education, natural ecology, science technology, health and medicine, history and culture, and arts and humanities etc.

They must promote the digitization of resources such as books, classics, teaching material, etc. They must encourage students to participate in internet-based cooperative learning and provide incentives for students to organise IT-related extra-curricular activities that advocate the extensive use of e-learning content. They must subsidize Internet connection and software/hardware maintenance of schools and encourage students and private organisations to provide practical assistance to IT education in rural areas in order to bridge the digital divide.

Ultimately, with the value of knowledge being constantly created and increased, the collective growth of individual citizens will lead to the uplift of the entire society's quality and the whole nation's competitiveness.