Every 2nd of
December, 2016 is set to be “World Computer Literacy Day,” despite the fact
that we all deal with computer every day, few people recognize this day, not to
talk of celebrating it.
The problem is
not far fetch, people in the underserved community constituting the majority
population of any country mostly the developing nation’s lack access to this
facility. The question is, are they lacking in terms of financial resources to
acquire it or they lack the orientation of having one? In reality, if they
could afford a TV set then I think they have the resources to have a computer
system, the problem is, they lack the orientation of given their children the
computer education.
Operating a Basic
Computer Skills and Services Centre gives me the opportunity to know that just
as academic literacy takes time to be wholly accepted among the masses, so also
the Computer education. Today, parents preferred the academic literacy over the
computer literacy up to university level. Of course I am not disputing that, after
all, if you cannot read and write how do you operate computer system? But if
you ask me, I think both should go hand in hand just like financial expert also
advocates for financial education.
We’ve all heard
a lot about the industrial age in relation to academic education. The ability
to read, write and communicate is the initiation behind the industrial age.
There have being lots of amendment and improvement, but none has being able to
meet up with what is required at this age. Except of recent when I heard that
Finland is reforming her educational system by eradicating teaching by subject
replaced with teaching by topics. Quoting Liisa Pohjolainen, who is in charge
of youth and adult education in Helsinki – the capital city at the forefront of
the reform programme. “What we need now is a different kind of education to
prepare people for working life.
“Young people
use quite advanced computers. In the past the banks had lots of bank clerks
totting up figures but now that has totally changed.
“We therefore
have to make the changes in education that are necessary for industry and
modern society.”
This is what
the World Computer Literacy Day is all about, to orient both the authority and
the parent on the important of computer literacy in achieve their future
career. I am aware that Computer education has been included in school
curriculum, but it is still being treated as unimportant, moreover, they are
being taught on paper (theory).
The most sadden
one is the colleges and universities in many developing countries. Imagine
someone who is studying Computer Engineering or Science as a major course that
cannot be apple to boldly operate computer system not to talk of assembly it. I
think people at this level should be using computer system and programme to
find solutions to the nation’s problems, instead they are learning what they
are suppose to know why in the elementary school.
The claim is
that there are no facilities for the practical, I doubt if this claim is really
true, the problem I think is putting the square peg into the round hole.
Majority of the authority and lecturers are laggards who have no interest in
these things, lack the required know-how and are not read to update their
knowledge. If people with little or no financial resources operation 10 x 12
square metre office as a training school can teach their students on computer
repair and maintenance, assembly, WLAN and LAN networking, Coding etc then I
don’t think these authorities will have anything to back up their claims.
I have come to
realise that, one of the major challenges of developing nations is that their
ability to step up to what is required to compete with the rest of the world.
When you see any economy dragging, check their willingness to accept innovation
and new technologies. I said willingness to accept, not the resources to
acquire.
Whether we like
it or not, computer and its related devices has come to change the way we do
business and how we relate with ourselves personally. Before you start
complaining of unemployment, start asking yourself, am I computer literate.
Many people
jobless today would have find alternative to their unemployment problem if they
have basic computer knowledge and skills. The reason is that in this age and
with ability to work effectively with computer system. The resources required
to start out as entrepreneur is minimal, even if it is just given out the
knowledge about what you know professionally or what you are passionate about.
That is enough to raise the capital required to physically start out.
It is now upon
us who knows about this to start orienting those who do not as our contribution
to the world development.
