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Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya PANL10n/Admin/ReportsResearch Analysis and Report on Impact and Diffusion of Localized Technology 25-03-2009

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Research Analysis and Report on Impact and Diffusion ofLocalized Technology

Bal Krishna BalMadan Puraskar Pustakalaya, PatanDhoka, Nepal

[email protected]

March, 2009

mailto:[email protected]


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AbstractThis document discusses on the progress of the different activities of the PAN Localization Project – Phase II fromthe perspectives of end user trainings and technology dissemination. Additionally, the document reports on theimpact and diffusion of localized technology in some of the rural sites of Nepal, where end user trainings onlocalized technologies have been conducted.

Introduction

The objective of PAN Localization Project – Phase 2, Nepal Country Component (MadanPuraskar Pustakalaya, MPP) has been greatly focused towards disseminating localizedtechnologies1 developed during Phase I and later on enhanced and further developed in Phase IIto the end users of rural sites of Nepal. For this purpose, E-network for Research andDevelopment (ENRD) was nominated as the Nepal Country Partner Institution (CPI) to assistMPP. Soon after, five sites were chosen as test beds for undertaking the activities of the PANLocalization Project. These included “Jhuwani” to the southern plains, “Dandagaun” located inthe neighboring district to Kathmandu, “Tolka” located in the vicinity of Pokhara and finally“Shikha” and “Nangi” located in the remote western district of Myagdi. While “Jhuwani” is atelecenter cum public library, the rest of the sites are public schools basically run by the localcommunity and the government which makes the five sites ideal test beds for training anddissemination of localized technologies. Since then several programs and activities have beenrun, all motivated towards developing local experts and end users. The programs have beencentered towards developing altogether 155 digitally literate community members throughout theprogram in all the above mentioned sites.In the later sections, we will be reporting on the progress of these activities as well as discussingon the impacts brought about by the project activities in the local communities.

Baseline Survey of the five sites

This was the very first activity of the Project in the five sites and was mainly focused towardsgathering information on the preparedness of the sites for launching the programs both frominfrastructure and the human resource perspective. Below, we present some of the excerpts of theinformation gathered from the baseline survey:

Table 1. Infrastructure and other information of the sitesSNo.

Name ofthe site

Geographical location Totalpopulation

Literacyrate

Ownershipandestablishment

Availabilityofcomputersand internet

1 Nangi Altitude – 2360meters in Mt.Annapurna region andto the northern part ofMyagdi district

780 (as per2001census)Ethnicgroup –Magar form

3% Established in2003 andowned by thecommunityschool,Himanchal

12 hoursdedicatedinternetconnectionby NepalWireless

1 By technology, we are referring to software and essentially localized software in the local language.


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themajority

HigherSecondarySchool.

Project.24computers.

2 Shikha Altitude – 2145meters

1200 (asper 2001census) –MagarEthnicgroup -Majority(80%)

Lowliteracyrate.

Internetserviceprovidedby NepalWirelessProject. 9computers.

3 Tolka Altitude – 1782meters

675 (as per2001census)Mixedcastecomposition – Gurung,Magar,marginalizedcommunityand fewBrahmin.

27%literacyrate

Established in2005 by theefforts ofNepalWirelessProject.


4 Dandagaun

Central mountainregion and 120 kmaway from theKathmandu valley.

2141 (asper 2001census)

40%literacyrate

Established in2007 by E-NetworkResearch andDevelopment


5 Jhuwani Inner Terai ofChitwan District

Tharucommunity- Majority

Communitylibrary ofREAD Nepalcumtelecenter.

Internetserviceavailable.10computers.

Source: Report on baseline survey report on five sites. E-Network Research and Development.

Table 2. Percentage distribution of respondents according to their previous training in computerby telecenters, groups and sex.

Have some computer skills TotalTelecenter Yes NoJhuwani 20 80 100Tolka 40 60 100


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Dandagaun 56 44 100Shikha 42 58 100Nangi 32 68 100Group of respondentsWomen 34 66 100Youths 40 60 100Farmers 28 72 100Students 54 46 100Teachers 34 66 100Sex of respondentsFemale 35 65 100Male 41 59 100Source: Report on baseline survey report on five sites. E-Network Research and Development.

Trainer’s Training

For the effective dissemination of technology, it is almost a proven fact that the technical expertsshould be available locally so that any technical issue could be addressed locally and on the spot.With this thing in mind, MPP and ENRD conducted two separate trainings for trainers. The firstone was conducted in Kathmandu and the trainees were basically the site operators from the fivesites. The training was provided on localized technologies (NepaLinux, Nepali Office Packages(OpenOffice.org suite, Nepali Unicode typing etc.), Email, Internet, Chatting, Uploading anddownloading files in the internet and so on). The objective of the training was making the siteoperators or the local experts familiar with localized technologies and then motivating them tofurther conduct end-user trainings in their local places thus disseminating and diffusing theknowledge and expertise acquired during the training. The second round of training also was atrainer’s training and this time too, the target audience of the training were the site operatorsfrom the five sites. However, this time, the training venue was one of the five sites itself.Trainers and technical experts traveled to the site of the training from Kathmandu itself. After thefirst round of basic training, which taught the trainees on the simple concepts of using thelocalized technologies, there was some demand for more advanced form of trainings. Hence, itwas decided that they be taught about content creation via website development and blogs. Forthis, they were taught how to create pages and website materials using the content managementsystem – Drupal. During the training duration itself, each of the five sites had websites up andrunning.

Training Curriculum Development and End User Trainings


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In the first trainer’s training itself, the participants were oriented that they ought to form differentend user groups and provide them trainings on the course outline they would decide most suitedout of the one taught to them. So soon after the trainees left from the first round of trainer’strainings, different end user groups were created in each of the sites. We provide below anoverview of the different end user groups formed in the five different sites:

Site name End user groupShikha (Myagdi) Teacher group, Student group, Women group,

Youth group, Hotel Professionals group.Dandagaun (Rasuwa) Farmer group, Youth group, Women group,

Student group, Teacher group.Jhuwani(Chitwan) Student group, Youth group, Farmer group,

Teacher group, Women group.Nangi (Myagdi) Ex-army group, Teacher group, Forest user

group, Student group, Women group.Tolka (Kaski) Youth group, Student group, Teacher group,

Women group, Hotel Professional group.

The concept of end user group formation was inspired by the fact that technology or anythingnew can be taught and learnt among people having more or less the same socio-economicbackgrounds. For instance, women might hesitate discussing over certain questions which theycan comfortably discuss amongst themselves. The other crucial issue is about the scope of usefulICT knowledge that a particular user group would be most benefitted with. For example, teachergroups might find spreadsheet and presentation software very useful and necessary for their jobswhereas ex-army groups might not necessarily feel the same. Site operators were hence asked todevelop a customized user manual (http://panl10n.net/wiki/EnrdNepal) being based on theinterests and competences of the user groups in the local site. End user groups were thenprovided the training focusing on their interests and needs. To start with, the site operators fromeach site provided training to five end users, one from each end user group, who later onreplicated the training to five more end users from the same end user group.

Impact and diffusion of localized technology

Ever since the launch of the PAN Localization Project – Phase II, dissemination of the localizedtechnologies has been very extensively taken up. The most notable thing is that trainings havebeen conducted in a most scientific manner, thus forming specific end user groups with focusedinterests and almost the same skill levels. The trainings have been conducted making the traineesor participants maximum participative and engaged on hands-on and real time activities. Socompared to the time when we first launched the program, we now have 155 localizedtechnology trained and aware grass root level end users. They are well versed with NepaliUnicode typing as well as using localized software of diverse uses like Office suite, Email,Internet and Chatting. The latest technology is being used to the fullest in transferringknowledge, news and exchanging information. Since the majority of the sites are schools, localstudents have been highly benefitted by the program. If in the past, lack of the knowledge ofEnglish had been a barrier, now with the localized technologies introduced, people from differentspheres and different socio-economical and educational backgrounds are greatly benefitting.

http://panl10n.net/wiki/EnrdNepal


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Given the remoteness of the sites and the availability of internet and localized technologies, thesites can in a true sense be visualized as Nepali villages of the new electronic era. Theoverwhelming participation of the end users in the websites in terms of content submission,comments making, updating with the latest information and news, participation in opinion pollsetc. is a corroborative proof for supporting the argument that the diffusion of localizedtechnology has literally brought about revolution in the lives of the people from these sites.

Below, we present a few excerpts of interviews taken with the respondents of the sites in termsof using technology. These excerpts have been taken from the report on baseline survey reportand field visit reports on five sites prepared by ENRD. The names of the respondents have beenchanged upon request.

“I am a 26 year old housewife. I have a 4 year old child. I have passed SLC. My husband is working in Dubai. Iknow the basics of using computer, email and internet. I communicate with my friends and relatives via email but Iam unable to do the same with my husband because he is ignorant about this technology. Had he also learnt thetechnology, the distance that prevails in between us could be highly minimized. When he comes back, the very firstthing I would do is teach him how to use this technology.” - Harimaya Pun, Shikha, Myadi.

“My name is Sarmila(name changed). I am 35 years old. I am married and have passed SLC. I am working as aprimary school teacher in this community. Before the establishment of the telecenter in our village in March 2007,computer was something that we did not know about at all. But then gradually, we discovered that its not anextraordinary object and hence there was nothing to fear about at all.” – Sarmila Nepal, Dandagaun, Rasuwa.

“The most important thing that I like about the telecenter in our village is that I can chat freely with my friends andrelatives in Nepali. In the past, we used to chat by writing Nepali in English Roman letters but now it can be done inNepali itself and Nepali typing is also can be learnt in about half an hour.” – Hem Purja, Standard 8, Nangi,Myagdi.

“It is really good that we have an official website for our telecenter now. We play several quizzes, post local newsand poems. Thanks to the website training. Now we know more or less about Drupal… ” – Bikash Gurung,Technical assistant, Tolka, Kaski.

“I find NepaLinux cool with the Nepali interface had not it been for the technical difficulties of installation. This is abig thing for Nepal, especially remote areas where English is not so good among the speakers. May be someday theNepaLinux Developers come up with a simplified installer.”- RamPrakash Mehta, Journalist, Jhuwani

A close analysis of the above excerpts show that the awareness level of localized technologieshas reached a quite diverse mass of the people. It can also be perceived that computer andinternet technologies in the localized form has been well received by the public. There was atime when computer and internet technologies seemed to be strangers, especially, with theinterfaces in English. Now that full fledged technologies in the localized form have emerged,people from remote areas find it very handy and useful to access and make effective use oftechnologies. Below, we include some of the pictures from the sites.


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Pic.1. Students and teachers interact over localized technologies

Pic.2. A student learning to use OpenOffice.org Writer


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Pic 3. Training session on localized technologies

Conclusion

The impacts of the diffusion of localized technologies observed in the five sites can be taken as apilot project for the study of the effective usage of localized technologies in the rural parts ofNepal. As what can be perceived from the notes made in the previous sections, the actual and theneedy target audience of such technologies is no doubt the people from the rural communitieswho find it relatively difficult to use English interface software. The initial target made duringthe launch of the program, i.e. training 155 end users has been thus met and with considerablesuccess. Future programs to be conducted in this direction should further work towards takinginto consideration the lessons learnt from the experiences collected so that past mistakes did notget unnecessarily repeated. It is to be noted that the effective use and need of localizedtechnologies has further been justified in the context of the drafting of the new constitution thathas given equal priority to all the languages spoken in Nepal as well as motivated towardsestablishing a inclusive and a informed society.

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