Poverty, education & technology

BY DR GHANSHYAM BHATT

Education, research and technology can be considered to be the key instruments for accelerating development. They should, therefore, receive special attention in national planning. The Asian Development Bank in a report describes Nepal as one of the poorest countries in the world having a per capita income of US$ 311 per annum, low human development indicators and poor access of a large section of the population to basic social services (Asian Development Bank and Nepal, 2007). Similarly, the World Bank reports that Nepal's secondary school attendance is 30 percent (less than one in three kids attend secondary school) and that primary school attendance is 74 percent. Unrepresented groups have been excluded from the mainstream forever, adding to poverty and frustration (Unequal Citizens of Nepal: Gender, Caste and Ethnic Exclusion, 2006). The attendance rate keeps dropping through higher education. The lack of education is correlated with poverty in the long run. Educational institutions happen to be one of the most ignored institutions in Nepal. Even in the post-democracy era, academic institutions are targeted by antisocial elements. Closing down schools and colleges has become the easiest way to protest against anything. Why is the education sector being treated as an enemy?

If we had a strong higher education system, these institutions would definitely have been less vulnerable to attacks by unruly mobs. A concrete education policy encompassing primary level through higher education is essential for many reasons. They include poverty eradication, political stability, good governance, corruption control and to be able to compete with other nations in development, science and technology.

Higher education is an essential ingredient for creating a healthy society and better and competitive citizens. It also creates better employment and integrates unprivileged groups into the mainstream by opening up opportunities for them. A better, inclusive and improved education system would help develop better attitudes and belief in pluralism besides ultimately making people put their trust in democratic norms and values.

A nation always benefits from its well-informed citizens, capable businessmen, leaders who understand local and international developments, and researchers and scientists who pursue innovation and development in industry, agriculture and other sectors.

As institutions providing higher education prepare future generations to lead the country, they must provide quality education and be within the reach of poor and underprivileged groups. Some policymakers downplay the importance of higher education and technology for development, but over the past few years, this viewpoint has been changing and more people are acknowledging its importance.

It is essential to incorporate technological advances with higher education as they complement educational achievements. The goal of education is to expand learning and enrich students' educational experience and achievements. Research indicates that using appropriate technology can be very beneficial in increasing educational productivity as it enhances learning and instruction.

Appropriate technology can make the learning process more rewarding, effective and efficient. It can provide distance-learning opportunities to students who otherwise would not have access to course offerings. Distance education is especially important to students in rural settings where fewer courses are available. As technology is a significant factor in increasing productivity in industry and business, people with technical education are always in demand.

Over the past few years, the potential of technology has attracted every sector. Our social structure, economic growth, business, industry and political system all depend on education, science and technology one way or the other. In today's scenario, graduates without knowledge of technology would be ineligible for most jobs. Globalization, the rapid growth of information technology and the democratization of societies would indicate that our present educational system is due for an overhaul.

Our government schools and colleges face many problems. They lack the necessary funds and resources to expand, develop the faculty and use technology in teaching. And, of course, there is political interference.

These institutions are unable to meet the demands of the growing number of students, especially the unprivileged ones. Anything that segregates the rich from the poor should be minimized. Improving the quality of higher education is a difficult task under the current conditions, but it has to get due priority. Instead of continuing with the same old educational policy for lack of a better one, we should look to our neighbors and try to learn a thing or two from them. For example, Indian policymakers have recently proposed jacking up their spending on education from the current 3.5 percent of GDP to 5 percent (Indianews.net, Oct 10). They claim that only 8-10 percent of their graduates are skilled enough to get a job.

We spend a smaller percentage of GDP on schooling than India. Perhaps this omission is being reflected in the national growth rate which is well over 8 percent in India while ours is below 2 percent. Productivity and curriculum are both reasons for investment in education. As such, reform is way overdue. We need immediate and long-term action plans for education from primary through higher levels. We need to incorporate technology in higher education, and we need a professional development plan so that professors know how to implement it. We need a plan to evaluate the development and use of technology and provide information about how far we are from reaching the set visions and goals.

Our policymakers themselves have to be aware of the rapid development of technology and its impact on higher education, social matter, economic growth and national development. Raising the GDP investment on education might be a very difficult decision to make at present, but we should not hesitate to do so if our options are limited.
Source:Poverty, education & technology
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