[Telecentres] Text and podcast of Andy's plenary remarks

[Anna Badimo]

Hi Andy,

Well done! 

As a Linuxchic, I should have added gender issues in my comments. How will
that be taken care of?

Best Regards
Anna Badimo

--
WITS University


---------- Original Message -----------
From: Andy Carvin <ACarvin at edc.org>
To: telecentres at wsis-cs.org
Sent: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 05:35:44 -0500
Subject: [Telecentres] Text and podcast of Andy's plenary remarks

> Hi everyone,
> 
> Below is the text of my remarks in this morning's intergovernmental
> plenary, on behalf of the education, academia and research taskforce,
>  and the telecentres caucus. I have published a recording of my 
> remarks, available in OGG and MP3 formats.
> 
> http://www.andycarvin.com/podcasts/plenary-carvin.ogg
> http://www.andycarvin.com/podcasts/plenary-carvin.mp3
> 
> Thanks to everyone who offered input on the text. -andy
> 
> A Joint Statement from the Education, Academia and Research Taskforce
> and the Telecentres Caucus
> 
> Presented by Andy Carvin, Digital Divide Network
> Palais des Nations, Geneva
> 23 February 2005
> 
> -------
> 
> Madame Chair, thank you for the opportunity to speak.
> 
> We, the members of civil society's education, academia and research
> taskforce and the telecentres caucus, have come together to address the
> importance of the proper financing of educational ICTs and human capacity
> building.  ICTs can be a key tool in achieving universal primary 
> education, while wired schools and non-formal learning institutions 
> such as telecenters can play a major role in addressing the 
> development agenda of the MDGs.
> 
> When considering appropriate financing mechanisms for bridging the digital
> divide, do not neglect the role that schools, universities and non-formal
> educational institutions such as telecentres play as a community hub 
> for building local knowledge, and integrating marginalized 
> communities into the information society.
> 
> Schools, universities, telecentres, libraries and other learning
> institutions all have an existing infrastructure that focus on the future
> -- the potential of our children and young people. If properly 
> financed, this infrastructure can serve as a backbone for bridging 
> the digital divide.  These institutions offer direct benefit to the 
> young people of the world, who cannot afford to be left on the wrong 
> side of the digital divide; their long-term wellbeing and prosperity 
> are at stake.
> 
> However, it is not enough to finance infrastructure initiatives only-
> educational capacity building such as professional development for teachers
> and curriculum development must also be addressed simultaneously. Learners
> must have access to curricula that is linguistically and culturally
> appropriate, including open courseware.
> 
> Moreover, there is a natural synergy that exists between ICT-enabled
> schools, telecentres and similar institutions. Schools should be financed
> so they too may serve as community-based telecentres, while 
> telecentres can serve as educational institutions in themselves. 
> This notion of multi-purposing should be addressed when making 
> decisions on investing funds to bridge the digital divide.
> 
> As digital divide initiatives are financed, communities must have a vested
> interest in the success of these institutions if they are to succeed 
> in the long-term. Financing models that embrace bottom-up approaches 
> will help foster educational ICT initiatives that address the 
> development needs of each community.
> 
> We also encourage further investment in the development of local open
> courseware initiatives. Open courseware offers an educational model for
> promoting open access, cultural and linguistic diversity, and a 
> spectrum of teaching and learning styles. These initiatives should 
> be networked for worldwide capacity building.
> 
> With these ideas in mind, we offer the following amendments to the chapter
> regarding financing mechanisms:
> 
> Paragraph 14: Change the phrase "capacity building" to educational 
> and human capacity building;
> 
> Paragraph 15, last clause: change to: ...as a tool for the 
> achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
> 
> Paragraph 21, last sentence: change the phrase "poverty reduction
> strategies" to "education and poverty reduction strategies";
> 
> Paragraph 23a:  Change to: ICT capacity-building programmes, 
> materials, tools, educational funding, curriculum such as open 
> courseware, and specialized training initiatives, especially for 
> regulators, educators and other public sector employees and organizations.
> 
> Paragraph 24h, end of the last clause, change to: "especially in the 
> public sector, including education."
> 
> Thank you very much.
> 
> -------------------------------------------------
> Andy Carvin
> Program Director
> EDC Center for Media & Community
> acarvin @ edc . org
> http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org
> http://www.edwebproject.org/andy/blog/
> -------------------------------------------------
> 
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------- End of Original Message -------