Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 29, 2011 Features / Columnists, My Column
By Adam Harris
It goes without saying that one of the greatest things to have happened in Guyana is the introduction of computers to just about everyone. For years I have always thought that it would be a great thing for children to have access to the internet, because there is so much information out there and children at school need access to all the information they could get.
As a boy there were the books, and unless one had many friends with books to facilitate exchanges or one had money to buy them, then one had to rely on the secondhand book stores. But that was only for those who wanted to read. There was no television, so the next best things for enjoyment were the books.
At school there were always the assignments that necessitated the use of the library. It meant spending hours looking for the relevant books, then ploughing through the pages to find the requisite information. It was hard work, but satisfying when the grades were good.
Today, one needs not go to the library. There is the internet with information at one’s fingertips. All one has to do is to ‘Google’ the information, and as much as one needs would come up. Learning is now so much easier.
The government knows this and because there is a problem with the education system that must be at the root of the new crime wave, it wants to see a breed of children who can access and use information. Even reporters can find anything they want. However, they still distort facts because they simply cannot take the time to seek information.
A few days ago someone wrote that Singapore had a land mass of 710 square kilometers. Knowing about the wealth of the country and its population, I was stunned. Perhaps the reporter made a mistake. My friend and colleague came up to me and simply said, “Adam, you making this thing hard work.”
He ‘Googled’ Singapore and voila, the reporter was correct. Singapore is nothing but a dot on the global landscape.
On another occasion, for the love of me I could not remember the first name of one of the authors of All the President’s Men. There was the computer to help me. Carl Bernstein jumped out at me. Information technology can make the country the place where one would want to live. The computer is no longer the tool of the rich and famous.
I was in the United States a few years back and I was shocked that the children were not bogged down with tons of books as is the case in Guyana. In fact, they hardly appeared to have any book in their haversacks. They didn’t. They had a simple netbook—a small computer.
Bharrat Jagdeo wants to see this happen in Guyana, and I can say that it is one of the best things that he could do. The problem, though, is to get children to rekindle the art of reading. The computer would be nothing but a tool for games and text messaging, unless children and teachers alike decide that reading and research are crucial.
The other day a reporter submitted a story that had me laughing. There was something about “u r a keen listener”. Immediately I recognized that this was a carryover from all the texting that passes these days.
I long recognized that English was taking second place to a lot of things. Spelling is heading through the window because reading is no longer a crucial aspect of life and of course, there are teachers who are caught up in the scheme of things. They too are pi**poor when it comes to the English language.
It is in this context that I also wonder whether President Jagdeo is spitting in the wind. He wants to see a computer literate nation, but that literacy must be tied to the education system.
Where I work there are computers a dime a dozen. Every staff member has access to one so there should be no problem. But there is. I have to cuss almost all the time because I see bits of information that are flawed. This needs not be, but the reporter appears to be more interested in accessing Facebook, the world’s leading social network.
But all is not lost. I meet young people who talk to me about downloading books and having a good read. And not surprisingly, these are the more informed young people, who should be able to command a job in any quarter. These are the young people I would wish to have working with me but alas, they are elsewhere.
So we come back to President Jagdeo’s effort to have a computer literate nation. It has not escaped notice that he has also focused on the adults. These are the people who would have to help the young people. There was a time when children would go home and ask parents to help them with some homework.
I know that at some point in my life my mother would send me to a neighbour to get that help. She was not too bright and she knew her limitations. These days there are more parents who have severe limitations and would simply leave children to their own devices. I sincerely believe that the introduction of computers in the homes of the poor would change this.
It is also heartening that computers are becoming cheaper every year. Guyana could very well be turning the corner.
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
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