As the world is changing with new technologies, Namibians
are also finding these impacting on their lives. Twenty years ago there were
less than 75,000 telephones and today we have more cellular phones than people.
Thus it has become important to understand ICT policy and how it should be
providing benefits to our citizens.
First, I wish to address our understanding of ICT and how we
can integrate it into our governance systems and also our daily lives. I have
struggled to find a term for this and the best I could find was “Progress
through Technology”, or in German,
“Vorsprung Durch Technik”. I prefer to use the German expression because in
German the word “Technik” not only means technology, but also the technique of
studying and mastering the skills of something.
Thus my belief that Namibia needs to relook at their ICT
Policy and include the mastering of ICT tools as part of their focus. These
tools include the following:
- Social media revolution of sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc.
- Mobile telephony (not only smartphones but also older technologies such as USSD)
- Touch screen and tablets (in getting information to their constituents).
It is my opinion is that discrimination in the world in 2012
and beyond, is not based only on race, culture, gender, or geographical
location, but more importantly in access to services and technology. Our
country’s leaders must address this through ICT policies that are forward
looking, and easily adaptable to changes in technology.
ICT and Human rights
Africa can use the latest technology to the benefit of all
its residents. The attitude to education which is presently geared to becoming
an industrial country, must be changed to a system where knowing where the
information is available is more important than having the information in your
head. This means moving from our present agricultural society to a
knowledge-base society within the next decade.
Human rights are to be understood as something we are
entitled to because we are a human being. With the advent of the Internet and
more and more powerful ICT tools, some of the citizens of the world are being
left behind. While the information on the Web might be available to anyone,
availability of infrastructure to access the Internet in lacking in many
developing countries. Two issues are thus defined in ICT policy,
- · access to the information, and
- · being given the education to use ICT.
Thus, just as the provision of water or housing, access to
information and communication technologies must be provided by the government
to its residents – in the same manner they provide libraries in the
communities.
As for teaching ICT usage, in the Declaration of Human
Rights, Article 26 it states:
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be
free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education
shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made
generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on
the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of
the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship
among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities
of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
In earlier times we referred to the three R’s being reading,
writing and arithmetic. Today, using the computer as a e-reader, blog writer,
movie uploader or collaborative social movement, has become just as important
to learn at the primary education level.
The Namibian ICT policies should strive to…
“Develop the tools and systems to assist the management of
our countries (government, civil society and private sector) in providing
access to services and technologies to allow maximum quality of life to all who
live here.”
