Access and equity: How technology tools are helping South Asians learn new skills
来源：World Economic Forum;发表于:2022-04-07;人气指数:328
Access
and equity: How technology tools are helping South Asians learn new skills
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/technology-tools-can-help-south-asians-expand-skills-and-knowledge-to-build-a-better-future/
The role of
technology continues to increase globally.
Image: Unsplash/Charu
Chaturvedi
22 Feb 2022
Cecile Fruman
Director, Regional
Integration and Engagement for South Asia, World Bank
*Incorporating
technology into a nation's development can be a tricky task.
*Despite this, the
growth of technology globally, specifically in South Asia, could translate into
huge progress for individuals.
*With technology
comes data, so regulations protecting all parties involved need establishing,
writes the World Bank's Cecile Fruman.
During the COVID-19
pandemic, community centers equipped with computers were a critical source of
assistance for poor women in Mysore, India. The Namma Mahiti Kendras –
“Our Information Centers” – gathered details about new government and private
philanthropic programs created to help residents cope with a national lockdown
and the loss of income.
The women-run
information centers knew exactly what to do based on several years’ experience
helping marginalized women claim government entitlements and services. “They
were ready during the pandemic to take and run with the demands required for
relief,” said Anita Gurumurthy, executive director of IT for Change,
a nonprofit group based in Bengaluru. “We saw the ability of communities to
self-organize.”
A growing network of
similar information centers is helping women use digital technologies to obtain
a range of government services and become informed citizens. The centers run
community-based radio stations, create podcasts, offer video screenings, and
hold debates on gender inequality and social injustice issues.
There is a wealth of
human potential in South Asia, and technology, if used well, can turn potential
into progress.
This is one of the
most important themes that emerged during a recent #OneSouthAsia
Conversation, Harnessing Technology to Build Human Capital in South Asia. The
live event reflected on some of the key messages of the new report, The
Converging Technology Revolution and Human Capital: Potential and Implications
for South Asia. It proposes several dozen actions to lay the foundation for
technology and data that can expand opportunities in the region.
Human development – through education, health care, and other social services –
is more important than ever as South Asia responds to climate change. Expanding
the supply of clean energy will require new jobs, new skills, and inclusive
training. Also needed are government programs that operate more efficiently
with data-driven decisions and dynamically updated social registries.
The correct use of
technology will ensure access and equity for the people who need it most so the
benefits filter through to vulnerable groups for the greater public good.
Achieving this would be a sea change for South Asia, where technology policies
– to the extent that they exist – have so far not favored vulnerable groups.
Technology is destiny
Technology has
assumed a powerful role in every-day life, like the role of banking in the
international economy. Access to technology “defines the destiny of people” and
communities, according to Gurumurthy.
Technology can also
reshape the delivery of government services.
In early 2020, Sania
Nishtar, Pakistan’s minister for poverty alleviation and social safety,
launched Ehsaas, a national program to support millions of households
whose incomes were hit by COVID-19. Pakistanis used mobile phones to apply for
government payments, so digital literacy and access to technology were
critical. Nishtar’s team developed digital skills programs such as instruction
and access in community centers to teaching girls in school so they could teach
their mothers at home.
“Data is an input.
Technology is a tool. They are not ends in themselves,” Nishtar said. “They are
meant to make systems work better.” Government programs can deliver better,
faster social services with technology and data-driven decisions, she said.
Opportunities in
health, education
Another speaker, Khondaker
A. Mamun, founder of CMED Health, a Bangladesh start-up company offering
preventive healthcare, said technology can put developing nations on the path
to universal health care. His company, for example, uses medical sensors
connected to a smartphone to measure patients’ vital signs. Patients get
instant feedback about their health, and data is stored securely to help their
doctors provide better care.
CMED Health also used
artificial intelligence for COVID-19 surveillance in Bangladesh. The pandemic
has shown that “if we can utilize more technologies, apply and adapt them to
solutions that are data-driven, we can very effectively reduce the cost of
health care,” Mamun said.
Technology offers
governments a huge opportunity to support the growth of their citizen’s human
capital by improving and cutting the cost of social services. But any effort to
do so will raise thorny issues of technology and data governance if the goals
of equity and inclusion are to be reached. Data governance establishes rules
for transparency and accountability in how data is collected, safely stored,
used, and reused.
Rabi Karmacharya,
executive director of Open Learning Exchange (OLE) Nepal, said weak
governance makes it difficult to direct services and resources to people who
need them most. OLE is a non-governmental organization that works to improve
the digital literacy of the underserved. It has programs in 50 schools and
trains teachers to use technology in classroom learning. OLE Nepal also created
interactive digital learning materials based on school curricula.
Role of regional
cooperation
Given the
complexities of applying technology to human development, the countries of
South Asia have much to learn from each other. Here and there, some seeds of
cooperation are sprouting. We heard about opportunities for more exchanges of
knowledge and experiences; for working together on digital infrastructure and
open-source platforms; and for collaborating on standards, governance, and
regulatory frameworks. “One of the key areas where collaboration can help is
sharing success stories and cases where successful models have been
implemented,” said Karmacharya of OLE Nepal.
I hope our conversation triggers new opportunities for cooperation in South
Asia, and we look forward to seeing some of that take place. We will continue
to keep the dialog going through social media. Share your ideas and thoughts on
social media with hashtag #OneSouthAsia.
Watch a recording of
the #OneSouthAsia Conversation on technology for human development or read
a text summary of the event. Learn more about other events in the
#OneSouthAsia series here.