Letters to the editor

Global digital divide

Reading Ashfaq Ishaq's article, "On the Global Digital Divide" (September 2001), I was reminded of the recommendations made during UNESCO's First World Congress on Informatics and Education more than a decade ago. One theme of the congress was the vast potential of technology to help developing nations leapfrog over the traditional stages of development and accelerate the growth of their economic and educational systems. It was believed that the emergence of more powerful technologies at lower costs also held promise for reducing the digital divide between developed and developing countries.

Seven years later, however, at the Second UNESCO World Congress on Informatics and Education, we learned from the reports of member nations that the digital divide between industrial and developing countries had not been reduced but that the chasm had, in fact, grown almost exponentially since the first congress.

It is important to recognize that the digital divide between developed and developing nations represents more than the lack of physical access to technology. It is, in reality, the result of a complex of factors, most of which have little to do with technology. The present digital divide between the poorest and the richest nations cannot be realistically addressed until we are able to raise the basic capacity of the former. The poorest countries will find it difficult to commit substantial resources for technology initiatives when their people are illiterate, do not have food, have limited or no health services, and lack other basic needs.

Simply providing technology to the poorest countries will not close the divide. If we look at our own schools, we can see that providing physical access to computers and connectivity is not enough. In many instances, computers are sitting in schools gathering dust because teachers do not know how to use them.

Research has shown that, for technology to be an effective tool in the learning process, three conditions must be met: (1) there needs to be high-quality content that is relevant to the learning needs of the students and to the educational system of the country; (2) teachers must be trained to integrate the new digital resources into their teaching practices; and (3) technical support must be readily available to address any problems that arise. Failure to meet any one of these conditions will result in a failure to reap any benefits from investments...