Transcript Empowering the Youth of Developing World: With the Revolutionary Information and Communication Technology Abbas Edalat Imperial College, London Science and Arts Foundation May 31, 2001 United.

Empowering the Youth of Developing World:
With the Revolutionary Information and Communication Technology
Abbas Edalat
Imperial College, London
Science and Arts Foundation
May 31, 2001
United Nation’s Year of
Dialogue of Civilizations
Overview
1. Digital technology as the vehicle
of a paradigm shift in education
2. The Internet: A global equalizer?
3. Science and Arts Foundation:
the experience in Iran
4. An Action Program to empower
the Youth of Developing World
The Revolution in Education
•
Digital libraries of all human knowledge
and culture are made available within seconds to
anyone, anywhere in the world.
•
New forms of communication e.g. email, e-groups,
on-line chat, video-conferencing, e-university etc.
turns the world into a global classroom.
•
Representation and retrieval of knowledge with
multimedia facilitates the expression and
learning of sophisticated concepts and ideas.
•
Fundamental skills such as spelling, grammar
checking, language translation, calculation and
processing data are automated.
From the realm of educational scarcity to
the realm of unlimited resources:
• Education becomes learner-centered rather than
teacher-centered and enquiry-driven rather than
textbook-driven.
• The dichotomy between learning and research is
resolved:
Learning becomes an enjoyable creative act.
• The boundaries between disciplines, between
primary, secondary and higher education are
blurred. Curriculum is loosened to become inclusive
and to aid the enquiring and autonomous student in
self-directed development.
The Social Consequences:
• Cooperation and collaboration using the
Internet replace competition and ranking as the
underlying motivation in education.
• The content of education becomes more
internationalist and less nationalistic.
• Tolerance, human rights, peace, pluralism,
Human solidarity and global environmental
issues can be effectively promoted.
Not just a dream!
• These are realistic potentials already
within reach in many developed countries.
• The information and communication technology
presents a gigantic challenge to humanity.
• We need the vision and the courage to act
in order to realise this great ideal.
A Historic Turning Point
• For the first time, we have a truly empowering
technology, which can bridge the gap between the
developing and the developed world.
• World Economic Forum, Dec 99:
Left by itself, the Internet will sharpen the
digital divide.
• The Internet and the ICT can become a global
equaliser only if we make it available free for
the children and youth in the developing world.
Unbalanced Digital Distribution
 In coming years:
– 28.32% of all computers will be in the
USA
– Europe will have 26.73%
– and countries like India will share only
1.08%.
A Dilemma?
• "Information is only one of many needs. Email is
no substitute for vaccines, and satellites cannot
provide clean water. High profile technology
projects risk overshadowing basic priorities."
Human Development Report 1999: Chapter 2, New
technologies and the global race for knowledge; UNDP 1999
• However, mass access to the Internet and ITC
can accelerate awareness of such needs, and
facilitate development of solutions to tackle
them effectively by empowering the youth of
the developing world, the hope of our future.
• We are only a victim of cultural lag if we fail to
fully appreciate the empowering role of the ICT.
Empowering the Youth in Iran
• Science and Arts Foundation (SAF) was launched
in March 1999 at Imperial College, London:
• To provide Computer/Internet sites and training
for schools, universities and libraries.
• Using two strategic resources:
(1) Universities in Iran
(2) Expatriates
Roshd High School, Naazi-Abad,Tehran
• Five international Olympiad medals
• Over 90% acceptance in university entrance
• 20% of former graduates aid in teaching
• Poor library and labs, no modern computers
• Two hundred school children slept on the floor
SAF’s First Project: Roshd
• First school computer site in Iran, May 99
• 15 Pentium 233 PC’s including two servers
• Dial-up Internet connection via Sharif University
(now replaced with leased line)
• Hosted two successful IT seminars for all state
schools in Tehran in 2000
Completed Computer/Internet Sites
in May 1999-May 2001
• 44 school sites, 18 boys, 24 girls:
18 in Tehran (3 Middle Schools)
2 in Varamin
2 in Gaz-o Borkhar, Isfahan
2 in Kashan
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3 in Shahr-e Ray
4 in Islam Shahr
11 in Guilan
2 in Tabriz
4 Orphanages in Tehran
Raad Rehabilitation Goodwill Complex
Sherafat teachers training college
University of Tehran Medical School
5 scientific and cultural centres
3 villages in Qamsar, Qazvin, and Jolfa
School Information Centre
http://www.schoolnet.ir
Was set up in Oct. 99 at Sharif University:
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It provides Internet access to schools.
It trains teachers in Information Technology
and the Internet.
It produces and downloads educational websites
for the use of school children in Iran.
It organizes:
(1) homepages for schools,
(2) discussion bulletin boards for schools,
(3) collaborative projects in particular between
schools inside and outside Iran.
First Iranian School Joins I*EARN
www.iearn.org
• International Education & Resource Network
• I*EARN organises school collaborative projects
in 90 countries.
• It enables children across the world to use the
Internet interactively as a means of education and
communication.
• Hedayat School (Abuzar Square, Tehran) joined
I*EARN in August 2000.
• A team of Iranian teachers will participate in
I*EARN conference in Cape Town in July 2001.
Hedayat Wins Life-Link Certificate
www.life-link.org
• Life-Link Friendship-Schools is an independent
NGO to promote contact and cooperation
between young people around the world, through
active participation in shared projects, vital for
our time e.g. Environment, Human Rights, Conflict
Resolution and Constructive Collaboration.
• Over 400 peace actions organized at 140
schools, including UNESCO’s associated schools,
in 42 countries in the year 2000.
• Many SAF supported high schools have
participated in Life-Link projects.
• Hedayat High School was awarded the Life-Link
recognition Certificate 2000.
Hedayat’s Certificate
Assembly Line at Hedayat School
• SAF has set an an assembly line in Hedayat
School.
• 15-17 year old children put together the hardware
components to assemble PC’s which are then used
to set up computer sites in other schools.
• Each PC (Pentium III) is assembled on average in
13 minutes.
• It gives invaluable training experience to the
children; produces good quality cheap computers.
• This has opened the way for production line to
enter into secondary schools, breaking traditional
barriers and boundaries.
A Program to Empower the Youth
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Extending the SchoolNet program across Iran:
26 School Information Centres at local
universities in the 26 states in Iran, each
supporting several dozens of schools.
Extending the program to university students
and libraries across the country
Setting up IT centres in deprived
neighbourhoods in order to:
1. Promote ITC literacy for the general public
2. Provide problem-solving Internet-based
information centres for local professions
3. Initiate e-commerce for local producers
An Action Program to Empower the
youth of the Developing World
National governments, NGO’s, the private
sector, international organizations in particular
the UN should mobilize their resources to:
• Provide free computer/Internet sites
for schools, universities, libraries and
community centers in the developing world.
•
Organize worldwide teachers training in ICT.
• Provide free distance-learning education for
all, in the spirit of the recent decision by MIT.
• Promote an education which is learnercentered, enquiry-driven, inclusive,
collaborative, humanistic and internationalist.
The Greatest Historic Opportunity
• The youth of the developing world, future leaders of
4/5 of the world’s population, has the potential for
outstanding achievements.
• They can be empowered by IT & Internet to make a
better future world.
• The international community, the NGO’s and national
governments have a historic responsibility to
accomplish this ideal.
• Failure to act now will produce an infinitely more
divided world with all its potential catastrophes for
the human race.
• Acting effectively to reach out to the youth of the
developing world will bring us to the dawn of a new
age of Enlightenment.