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Gone
are the days when IT companies made their much hyped about social
contributions at the time of natural calamities or occasionally
gave food and clothes to the needy. IT literacy drives have now
taken the centre stage of corporate social initiatives, which is
also aimed at benefiting the industry in the long run. And how?
According to industry observers, IT companies are gradually realising
that for the success of their business it is necessary to bridge
the existing digital divide within the society. The past couple
of years have consequently seen companies like IBM, NIIT, Aptech,
Infosys, Xansa, Intel, Cisco and Texas Instruments initiating many
IT literacy campaigns.
The
obvious objective of the sudden spurt in IT literacy drives is to
make the computer an indispensable tool. According to Aruna Ramamurthy,
head, Intel Education, “The ability to use computers has become
indispensable to educational, career, social and cultural advancement.
IT literacy is now a basic skill and a basic job requirement. The
aim of IT companies is to help the underprivileged section of society
keep pace with the changing times. They should not be left behind
just because of their social, gender or physical disability.”
The
efforts, scale of the projects and spirit behind the initiatives
have in fact been commendable. For instance IBM India has taken
a number of community initiatives to address IT literacy issues.
The two significant projects are—setting up of the Gandhi Institute
of Computer Education and Information Technology (GICEIT), in partnership
with the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB) and its tie-up with Victoria
Memorial School for the Blind in Mumbai. Under the GICEIT programme,
the company has been providing free computer education to students
from economically weaker sections. This programme helps in bringing
elementary computer literacy to participants from rural India with
an aim to increase awareness of computers among children in these
areas. Not only are PCs and laptops used during the training sessions,
but they have also devised ‘local language interfaces’
using specialised software to make the learning experience more
meaningful. More than 3,000 students in 15 schools have already
benefited from the programme.
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| Children
in Goa schools have access to computers thanks to the Goa Schools
Computers Project (GSCP) |
Infosys’
‘Train the Trainer’ programme familiarises faculty members
from various universities with the latest developments in the IT
industry. Another significant initiative taken by Infosys in collaboration
with Microsoft is the Computers@Classrooms, in which the company
is committed to donate used computers to 100 institutions across
India. Aptech however has annual literacy projects. In 1998 the
company donated a computer lab (Pentium computers, colour monitors,
et al), supporting software (Marathi courseware) to Apsingha village
near Pune. In 1999, it partnered with Pratham’s (an NGO) for
a ‘Universal Primary Education’ campaign in Mumbai and
helped in developing low-cost innovative technology models for the
same. The year 2000 saw Aptech joining hands with Rotary International
to provide computer literacy to schools for underprivileged children.
Intel
is universally known for its innovative education programmes. The
company started its IT literacy initiatives in India in 1996 with
the aim of getting more students interested in science and technology
subjects and providing teachers with the tools to help them teach
these subjects more effectively. The ‘Intel in Innovation’
programme has become popular in schools across the country. Some
of the significant steps taken by the company have been—setting
up Intel’s Cyberskool in collaboration with the National Science
Centre (NSC), New Delhi. Cyberskools are state-of-the-art multimedia
labs that provide children, teachers and parents hands-on access
to latest literacy programmes. Teacher training programmes educate
instructors on handling the demands of the digital era. Family camps
are also held on weekends to provide children and their parents
with practical experience. Intel has also been holding regular workshops
with students and teachers across the country to educate them on
the latest developments in the industry. The company also sponsors
the ‘Annual National Science Fair’ organised by the Department
of Science and Technology, with the aim of encouraging the younger
generation to develop an interest in engineering, science and technology.
Intel also holds the ‘Intel Technology in Education Contest’,
in Delhi schools. Recently, the company launched the ‘Computer
Clubhouse’ in Govindpuri, New Delhi. It is the first of its
kind in Asia to provide access of technology to slum children. Presently
100 slum children regularly visit the Clubhouse. Though there is
no specific course, the purpose is to provide them with basic lessons.
Samsung
Electronics India Information and Telecommunication (SEIIT) has
recently launched with NSC the ‘Digital Adventure (DA)—A
walk-through of digital technologies’. This programme explains
the latest technologies, gives a hands-on experience of futuristic
digital products and also showcases tomorrow’s usage possibilities.
Targeted at school-going children, teachers and parents, the initiative
is aimed at widening their knowledge horizon and demonstrating effectively
the possibilities of using science and technology.
Cisco
has set up Networking Academies (NA) in every state of the country.
The company provides equipment, curriculum and training and monitors
the quality standards for free. CNAP trains students and in-transition
workers to design, build and maintain computer networks. Another
major initiative has been the launch of Cisco Learning Institute
(CLI), a charitable programme for women, aimed at bridging the gender
divide. CLI will provide free networking equipment, curriculum and
scholarships for qualified students, while the institutes have to
enrol 150 students each. The programme will be an extension of the
already existing CNAP and will have a broad-based curriculum.
While
Intel, Cisco and Samsung are focusing more on spreading education
by leveraging on their domain expertise, Xansa India (which has
been active in community services since its inception), has started
Literacy@Home, to motivate the beneficiaries for pursuing higher
level of education. The beneficiaries are associated with Xansa
(peons, drivers, etc) and Xansa employees voluntarily conduct the
classes. Others like HCL Infosystems are doing their bit by donating
equipment or setting up computer labs for children. The company
has donated a multimedia PC to CRY (to educate slum children in
Alipure, New Delhi) and has also set up a PC Lab in Uttarakhand
Public School in Noida (an institute for economically backward students).
This endeavour has helped the school in complying with certain CBSE
guidelines.
While
it is difficult to assess the exact amount of contributions made
for the spread of IT literacy among the have-nots, what is significant
is the voluntary participation of many employees. For instance,
at Tata Infotech employees from different divisions in Mumbai have
been running a computer centre in collaboration with Vatsalya, an
NGO for street children.
Red
Hat India in collaboration with Goa Computers in Schools Project
is working towards enabling the speedy computerisation of schools
in Goa and provide Linux as a standard operating system. Under this,
Red Hat is providing free software to over 360 schools in Goa. According
to Shankar Iyer, training manager, Red Hat India, “The schools
will get access to all the software that they need. We will also
provide free training for teachers and volunteers. The concept of
open source will help schools save on upgradation costs.”
Indian
IT training majors like NIIT and Aptech have also started their
literacy drives for the economically backward section which have
become quite popular. NIIT’s Swift Jyoti programme has already
trained 1,04,000 students in a single day (10 hours of training).
NIIT also decided to provide 20,000 Swift Jyoti courses free MPs,
MLAs and corporators and class 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th standard
toppers of Government schools across the country. Aptech’s
‘Vidya’ is a reasonably priced, multilingual course with
a wide reach. It aims at creating a massive base of competent computer
users in all walks of life at the village, taluka, district and
city levels.
While
most of these initiatives are being driven by big Indian IT companies,
what is significant is the universal spirit to help in the development
of the IT industry. “We have noticed that IT education continues
to remain the prerogative of a select few in the country and we
hope that initiatives like ours will succeed in changing the scenario,”
says Iyer of Red Hat. He adds that these efforts should be targeted
to genuinely help society and facilitate a scenario where IT education
becomes accessible to all, in particular the young minds who will
shape the future of the country.
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