ITfC News |
Dec 2009 |
IN THIS ITfC NEWS ISSUE: New Publications: •Policy Brief on ICTs in School Education •Building an Alternative e-Governance Model: Lessons from e-Gram in Gujarat Consultation: "Social Enterprise to Mobiles" - paper presented at the Second Harvard Forum on ICTs GENDER AND THE INFORMATION SOCIETY: New Publication: Violence against Women via Cyberspace Advocacy: Input into the Asia Pacific NGO Forum on Beijing +15 FLOSS NEWS: Advocacy: Progressive National e-Governance Standards Policy New Publication: Kerala's FOSS Initiative Case Study |
MORE ITfC NEWS ON: •IT for Change Annual Report 2008-2009 •Gender and Information Society Quarterly Bulletin (Nov. 2009) •ITfC Quarterly Bulletin (July 2009) •FLOSS Quarterly Bulletin (coming soon) VACANCIES: •Research Associate: Governance, Social Policy and ICTs •Research Assistant: Governance, Social Policy and ICTs •Research Associate: Gender •Research Assistant: Gender •Coordinator for a Project on ICTs for Open Government and Deepening Democracy |
ITfC NEWS Policy Brief on ICTs in Schools Education - This paper discusses outsourced versus integrated models in computer learning programs in schools, drawing from our research in two states of India. It clearly demonstrates the superiority of integrated models to outsourced/PPP system and how it can help the education department avoid the pitfalls experienced by earlier programs and help them make an informed choice in deciding a model for their computer learning program. Read More Building an Alternative e-Governance Model: Lessons from e-Gram in Gujarat - This paper frames a critique of India's existing e-governance programme in the context of a market-driven and efficiency enhancing approach. It carries out an empirical assessment of an e-governance initiative in the state of Gujarat, exploring what kind of development and local governance are served by this telecentre-based action. Read More Social Enterprise to Mobiles: The Curious Case of a Propped up ICTD Theory - This paper, presented by Anita Gurumurthy (ITfC) at the Second Harvard Forum on 'Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Human Development, Growth and Poverty Reduction' on Setember 23-24, 2009, argues that there is a lack of a much needed grounded theory that is in a continuous and for deepening democracy. The development question for ICTD is not in the realm of the social propensities of new technologies per se, but about their specific meanings for pursuit of equity and social justice, and hence about the poilitical nature of development itself. |
GENDER AND THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
Violence against Women via Cyberspace - This article is a commentary on the Sakhi-Jagori Consultation, 'New Technologies and New Forms of Violence against Women and Girls'. The noteprovides an overview of the emerging information society context and its redefinition of the public sphere; the policy context that has emerged in relation to the social-structural nature of ICTs; and considerations that are important for a feminist response to the policy context. Read More “Weaving Wisdom, Confronting Crises, Forging the Future” was the theme of a global NGO Forum that took place prior to the 54th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in 2010. This UN CSW session sought to review implementation of the BPFA as well as the outcome of the 23rd Special Session of the General Assembly. A report by the IT for Change team titled Recasting Beijing Platform through the Information Society Lens - a conceptual and action framework was used as one of the crucial documents for the event. The final declaration of the conference reflects these aims. |
FLOSS NEWS ADVOCACY: Progressive National e-Governance Standards Policy - In order to ensure that the draft policy on Open Standards for e-Governance is not tampered and corrupted by corporations, and national interests are not sacrified, FOSSCOMM (a civil society alliance of organizations and individuals working to promote use free and open source software in India) wrote to the Department of Information and Technology (DIT). The letter requests that the present draft policy is not diluted by including recommendations on multiple and royalty encumbered standards as asked by NASCCOM and MAIT. Read More NEW PUBLICATION:Kerala's FOSS Initiative - IT@School, a wide FOSS-based ICT in education project implemented by the State of Kerala's Department of General Education, has been running successfully for the last five years. Since its inception, the state has witnessed 2,738 high schools operating on Free and Open Source Software. As part of a research of IT for Change on Computer Learning Programs in Schools (CLPS) in different states in India, case studies are being compiled to examine the factors which has contributed to the successful adoption of FOSS in Kerala. |
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