The Community Information Centres (currently known as Community Service Centres or CSCs) have been established in all districts of North Eastern States of India to address the needs of community. They function as extensions of the block resource centres. The rationale of this initiative is to provide access to information, vocational training, distance learning programmes to community. Hence, the CSCs can be the nodal point for communal participation as well as creative thinking and learning. They can become the pivot of community enabling centres where the community gathers to learn, discuss needs, and play an active role in decision making. Since CSCs are a part or an extension of the block resource centres, the Block Development Officers (BDOs) play a significant role in formulating extension-based activities.
To add to their value, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has started a computer literacy programme in the CSCs for functionally literate people. There are 32 CSCs in the Indian state of Meghalaya, a tiny state endowed with luxuriant greenery, nestled in North East India. The programme is encountering a slew of problems in terms of skilled human resources, electricity, communication gap between CSCs and IGNOU Regional centres, adhocism and so on. In such a context, the main objective of the paper is to see how these CSCs can effectively function as community learning telecentres where people can participate in skill development programmes, such as tailoring, weaving, making handicrafts, fruit and vegetable processing and so on. The paper would also analyse the bottlenecks impeding the growth of these centres.
Area of study and methodology
The project covers only two districts of Meghalaya state, namely East Khasi and Ribhoi and out of 32 existing CSCs, seven have been selected for the pilot project. The methodology employed for data collection primarily includes interviews with local villagers, headmen, youth, BDOs, NGOs as well as counsel from the State Department of Information and Technology, National Informatics Centre, Government of India. The interviews were designed to seek advice from the selected respondents on creating the ideal community centres where knowledge is based not on commodification, but on participation and interaction.
The idea of project
The project seeks to present the idea that community centres can also be envisaged as learning centres. It is conceived as a model where, as a first step, the computer literacy programme of IGNOU will be implemented. The project will attempt at the radicalization of community based knowledge networks. Technology will be the means to an end, not an end in itself where its integrated use will benefit the community. This reinforces the views of AW Khan, former Vice-Chancellor of IGNOU, who opines that "Distance Education programmes should take a humanistic approach, focusing on people rather than on technology". Such a 'people centered' approach will be the paradigm of the project, which is understood as a practical necessity, not simply as a theoretical repository.
Community Centres with a media mix of 'traditional' and 'new' are germane to the essential concepts of open and distance learning. Hence, these CSCs can serve the purpose of vocational education and training centres. The project is proposed as a model for village community centres as nodal learning centres at the village or block level. It can be extended later to neighbouring states of Assam, Mizoram and Nagaland.
Literacy and its adjunct will be the focus of this study, which is envisaged as an action research. The findings of the study will also be submitted to the university, state government, government departments like information technology, education and social welfare for possible implementation, once its construct has been framed. The National Information Centre, Meghalaya has provisions for content creation, where content on social, economic and cultural matters can be uploaded. Such potentiality of the CSCs in content creation will also be vigorously explored in this research.
Theoretical perspectives of the project
Delors Commission Report (1996) popularly known as "Learning The Treasure Within" posits four pillars of learning: learning to know, learning to do, learning to be and learning to live together. The epistemic processes enunciated here are singularly complex. While first two relate to 'knowing' and 'doing' that is 'knowing how to apply it'; the last two spell out a vision for education in the 21st century. That is, in a world saddled with aggrandizement and personal rights, can education be a fount of unity? In other words can education impel us into an ethical commitment taking us out of the backwaters of jingoism? It is true that today there is a pull of cultural forces between that of individual identity and world consciousness. But Ethical goals must also be actualized in educational paradigms. Education must be a prophylactic for divisiveness and sectarianism.
Media plays a significant role in entertaining masses, but in countries like India where level of literacy is low, media should be a catalyst for educational purposes. It acts as a contiguous force. Such foundation makes us view education as an holistic component in life and an integral part of our cultural and social values
Training is an important component of education. Training is cybernetics and an ongoing process commensurate with the quality of life. Education is also community based and a transaction at a one to many level.
Media plays a significant role in entertaining masses, but in countries like India where level of literacy is low, media should be a catalyst for educational purposes. It acts as a contiguous force. Such foundation makes us view education as an holistic component in life and an integral part of our cultural and social values. In this context, fullness and tangibility of media may be grasped. Apart from being a source of entertainment, it can also be a subtle mix of educational value. It has been essentially attempted to show how learning goals and objectives may be attained in our corporate life, taking into account developing nations such as India. Furthermore the academic nuance between knowledge and information based societies is a critical pointer here. Learning to learn is a new paradigm in our learning process and typifies the ethical model of education.
The project model: Telecentre perspectives
Social responsibility implies community involvement and the telecentre model envisaged here considers it in the context of education and, in particular, the distance learning mode. In this section, nature and distinguishing characteristics of a distance learner as well as models of such learning are described. Further, it elucidates how distance education can make learning more community based. For me, this represents a radicalisation of educational ontology, when the premium is on literacy, numeracy and computer literacy.
Distance education techniques should be perceived holistically. They can be applied to literacy campaigns. Illiterates, semi-literates and neo-literates are distance learners. The first generation of distance education, which organised and sustained the print media, has been used very effectively for literacy measure in the form of primers, practicing writing / numeracy skills, etc. In fact, the learning material prepared for literacy purposes is an indicator of distance education methodology, as the print material, which is the basic medium of instruction in distance education, is used for learner to be literates and neo-literates.
The fourth and current generation is computer and web based and mobile learning. The media application in distance education should be used in literacy campaigns to make learning processes complex, but interesting, auditory and appealing to the senses. Interactivity too is a must
The second generation of distance education integrated audio and video cassettes with the print material. The third generation witnessed emergence of audio-video conferencing to supplement judiciously teaching and learning processes. The fourth and current generation is computer and web based and mobile learning. The media application in distance education should be used in literacy campaigns to make learning processes complex, but interesting, auditory and appealing to the senses. Interactivity too is a must. How will the primal leaner respond to teleconferencing and how will such interaction take place, are issues which need to be seriously addressed.
The revolution brought about by technological innovations in the field of education in general and distance education in particular, should be applied progressively and logically to all spheres of human resources, mobilization and development. A total learning situation is our paradigmatic understanding of the intricate question of education. Distance education is rapidly developing into a model of education, which can be applied logistically to training, extension and traditional education. The application of distance education with its ontologies focusing on technological intervention is one prima facie evidence of its innovation, quality assurance and flexibility. In fact, such methodologies have the air of technocracy about it, but what is important is that it has given the learner scope and width. The learning resources today are inexhaustible.
The utility of the media as a source of entertainment has been fully responded by the masses in India. What they will also have to comprehend is media application in knowledge-related areas. This will be a source of both instruction and entertainment. The sixty-odd per cent of people in India whom we consider to be literate can just about sign their names. The progression from neo-functional to irreversible literacy is vital. These are the challenges to literacy, which point towards educational growth for masses. A learning environment can thus be pragmatically sustained, keeping in mind the distinct and evolutionary phases of literacy growth, the determinants being functionality and application orientedness.
Undoubtedly, computer literacy is necessary. This means being not only computer literate but also being literate in an international language, i.e., English. These CICs/CSCs, should be viewed as community enabling centres, where the access to computer should, ideally speaking, enhance the quality of life. And, as the UNESCO document on education in the 21t century states with clarity (i) Learning to Know (ii) Learning To Do (iii) Learning To Be, and (iv) Learning To Live Together.
One of the missions of the IGNOU is to spread computer knowledge especially in rural areas, in association with the CSCs. Technology is advancing at a breakneck speed, let us not forget the hapless victims of poverty and literacy. The true meaning of information technology in the third world economy points towards developing rural areas to provide easy and cheap access to it. Therefore, its utility has to be comprehended specifically in this context: that it is a means to educate, and create impromptu classrooms in the villages and the remotest towns, let alone the cities. Otherwise, the yawning gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' will continue to persist. Functional literacy, numeracy and information technology literacy are key skills, they are major determinants of progressions and success in higher education and subsequently to success in work and day-to-day life. Developed countries, like the United Kingdom, do have extremely high levels of literacy, numeracy and information technology skills, but they are not universal.
Today technology is a rapidly erupting and proliferating force knowing no boundaries. Computers have been effectively used for imparting literacy to adult illiterates through innovative programmes by international firms like IBM. These measures will be used for adult and continuing education as well in the very near future. However, we must also determine what technology is going to be appropriate in a particular situation. Technological appropriateness is the key factor here as well as a convergence of the radio, television and computer.
Today technology is a rapidly erupting and proliferating force knowing no boundaries. Computers have been effectively used for imparting literacy to adult illiterates through innovative programmes by international firms like IBM. These measures will be used for adult and continuing education as well in the very near future
In conclusion, the IGNOU project has attempted to answer how distance education can make learning more community based. This is a radicalization of educational ontology, where the premium is on literacy, numeracy and computer literacy. This will be a breakaway from our fixed notions of higher education, which is degree-centred and based on the assumption that, the target group already possesses learning skills. To start from scratch and to critically examine how distance education as a model can be used for the above-mentioned issues, that is literacy, numeracy and IT literacy are the objectives of this project vis a vis the CSCs in Meghalaya. The CSCs now function as telecentre model, a growing concept in East Africa and in some parts of India where community comes to participate in the corporate life of the society; whether to participate in a meeting or to browse Internet, gather information, purchase tickets or simply to interact with people or groups. The CSCs must not degenerate into 'cyber cafes'.This will be a serious mission drift.
