In an interview with the BBC, Nigeria’s education minister questioned the need for laptops in poorly equipped schools.
Dr Igwe Aja-Nwachuku said: “What is the sense of introducing One Laptop per Child when they don’t have seats to sit down and learn; when they don’t have uniforms to go to school in, where they don’t have facilities?”
“We are more interested in laying a very solid foundation for quality education which will be efficient, effective, accessible and affordable.”
2 Comments
Jacob Varghese
Without too much cognizance about the political nature of the Nigerian minister’s comments, I still agree with his views. The panacea approach of the Western World for all problems elsewhere in the world, without going into the depth of the culture, history and problems, will not bring in a lasting and self-sustaining effect.
Jordan
I agree with the issue at hand (a mis-assessment of priorities) but I disagree with the comment. Frankly, I’m a wee bit weary of comments like “the west keeps trying to impose its ‘solutions’ on a developing world it doesn’t understand” or “only Africans can develop Africa”, etc. The majority of the professionals working in the development field are from developing countries (I know this firsthand because I also work in this field). Much of content of design and implementation recommendations for development interventions is articulated by local professionals, not to mention the massive efforts that every project and program goes through to get “stakeholder” feedback and involvement. Blaming the “West” for getting it wrong again (or for advocating panaceas) is simply misinformed.
LIRNEasia at IGF 2023: A sneak peek
Get ready to be immersed in the forefront of digital discourse as the 18th annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2023 unfolds in Kyoto, Japan from 8 to 12 October, under the theme The Internet We Want – Empowering All People. LIRNEasia will host two sessions featuring experts from the Global South, along with LIRNEasia CEO, Helani Galpaya, Senior Research Manager, Gayani Hurulle, and Senior Researcher, Isuru Samaratunga.
Data science for social good
On 2nd October 2023, Research Manager and Team Lead (Data, Algorithms, and Policy) Merl Chandana, alongside Junior Researcher Chanuka Algama, held a session titled ‘Applied data science research for social good’ at the University of Kelaniya’s Department of Statistics and Computer Science. The session delved into LIRNEasia’s journey of forming a data science team and using large datasets to yield critical insights for public policy.
Sri Lanka’s new Bill on Online Safety:comparison with Singapore
A new Draft Bill on Online Safety was recently published in the Gazette of 15th September (issued on 19th September). As stated, the objectives of the Bill are to ‘to establish an online Safety Commission; to make provisions to prohibit online communication of certain statements of fact in Sri Lanka; prevent the use of online accounts and inauthentic online accounts for prohibited purposes; make provisions to identify and declare online locations used for prohibited purposes in Sri Lanka; and to suppress the financing and other support of communication of false statements of fact.
Links
User Login
Themes
Social
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Contact
12, Balcombe Place, Colombo 08
Sri Lanka
+94 (0)11 267 1160
+94 (0)11 267 5212
info [at] lirneasia [dot] net
Copyright © 2023 LIRNEasia
a regional ICT policy and regulation think tank active across the Asia Pacific