From: Frederick Noronha <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 01 October 2000 20:17
Subject: BYTESFORALL: October 1, 2000


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_/  B y t e s   F o r   A l l ---  http://www.bytesforall.org
_/  Making  Computing  Relevant to the  People of  South Asia
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             OCTOBER 2000 * RELEASE DATE OCTOBER 1, 2000

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JIVA in North India is currently launching a new project. Jiva
Institute invites all to join in a "mission to rebuild India's
education system".
Says Steve Rudolph of Jiva: "We have launched an initiative
called India's Curriculum of Tomorrow (ICOT). In this, the team
plans to:
* Create a new set of educational standards for Classes K-12.
* Develop high-quality textbooks for all subject classes.
* Establish a free Internet-based software bank.
* Provide teacher training and staff development for implementing
the program.
India's education system is instructive-based, and teacher-
>centred, where students merely memorise information for the sole
>purpose of passing exams.
>In the process, learners fail to develop the type of skills that
>are truly needed in the world today, such as creative thinking,
>decision making, problem solving, teamwork, values, and so on.
>Although many schools do wish to make change, they have not found
>the vehicles that would enable them to do so. What schools
>require is a new "constructive" curriculum, innovative learning
>materials and dynamic professional development for their teachers
>and administrators. Jiva says it has "set out to develop
>this".
>Jiva points out that it has already demonstrated its ability to
>create a high-quality, constructive computer curriculum through
>its Jiva Learning System (http://www.jiva.org/jls), which is used
>today by more than 200 schools in 15 states. It is now extending
>this design to cover all subjects and classes.
>Support for ICOT has come so far from Rotary, Apple Computer, the
>Center for Science and Environment, the Institute for Learning
>Centered Education, schools, boards, government bodies, NGOs, and
>individuals both in India and abroad. It also seeks support from
>all interested in becoming ICOT members.
>To become a member, you simply need to pay a sponsorship fee of
>INR 500, and send in the membership form (ask for it via email).
>You will then receive a beautiful ICOT t-shirt with the ICOT logo
>and a slogan that says "I'm building the future." You will also
>be updated periodically about the progress of the project, and
>will be informed about ICOT activities that you may participate
>in.
>"Rebuilding India's education system is no easy task. But with
>your support, and the support of others, it will certainly
>improve the effectiveness of our efforts," adds Jiva.
>For more information about the ICOT Project, visit
>http://www.jiva.org/icot.
>Further details from Steven Rudolph, Educational Director
>Jiva Institute, 1144/19 Faridabad, HY 121002 India
>[log in to unmask]  http://jiva.org/
>Tel/Fax: 91+ 129.529.5547 or 529.6174
>
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>OTHER JIVA initiatives include:
>EARTH-ONE http://www.jivaworld.com/earthone
>Linking Schools To Education: This is a website for schools about
>environment. The first of its kind in India.
>JETS http://www.jiva.org/jets
>A Teacher Training Programme for schools. Trains teachers to
>become IT literate, and to use IT effectively as a teaching aid.
>Contains 3 books, 3 workbooks, and a CD. Learning anywhere,
>anytime. No instructor needed -- it's all self-paced and step-by-
>step learning.
>
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>
>THE NEW-TECHNOLOGY COMMUNICATION CHAT FORUM will commence soon.
>On-line discussion and problem solving of trends and issues
>related to the new technologies and development. Email
>[log in to unmask]
>and type
>subscribe new-technology
>into the body of the message [not the subject line] or email
>[log in to unmask] to join. The list is yours to use as you wish.
>Initial suggestion to start discussion - review and comment on
>James Deane [Panos] presentation "Setting agendas: the changing
>roles of development communications in the knowledge age" on
>http://www.comminit.com/other_presentations/james_deane/sld001.htm
>Info courtesy: The MEDIA BEAT-24 http://www.comminit.com/news.html
>
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>WRITES HARI SRINIVAS <[log in to unmask]> FROM TOKYO of the
>South-Asia-IT mailing list:
>Greetings from Tokyo!... I have a query that I hope will have
>some takers on this list: Do you know of cases where NGOs or
>other community groups in south Asia have received or require
>used PCs? What kind of PCs have they received or need? How do
>they use or intend to use it? Who were the donors? Etc.
>I would be grateful for any info -- news items, case studies,
>contact addresses etc. Please respond directly to my email
>address -- [log in to unmask]
>This info is for several queries I have been receiving from
>Japanese NGOs, as well as a for a project being launched by the
>UNU.
>Hari Srinivas, Ph.D.
>Environment and Sustainable Development, United Nations University
>5-53-70, Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo - 150-8925
>Tel: +(81-3) 5467-1250    Fax: +(81-3) 3406-7347
>Work Web: http://www.unu.edu/env/
>
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>INDIA-CHINA SIGN MoU ON INFOTECH: New Delhi, July 17 - India and
>China have signed their first agreement on critical areas of
>information technology (IT) with the focus on software
>application and products, transfer of IT technologies and joint
>ventures, reports the India Abroad News Service.
>
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>
>INDIAN DUO BUILD 'DIRT-CHEAP' RADIO STATION: by Frederick Noronha
>HYDERABAD, July 22: They took it up as a challenge, and today
>these two young men have built a radio-transmitter that fits in a
>briefcase at a cost of barely ten thousand rupees (US$220).
>Vikas Markanday and Dayal Singh of Rohtak in Haryana, both aged
>21, have assembled a low-cost FM radio transmitter that they hope
>will spread useful information that could make a vital difference
>to the lives of villagers, including on agricultural practices.
>Weighing approximately 12 kgs., the entire "radio station" fits
>into a briefcase. This transmitter has a range of 10 to 15 kms
>radius, and thus can be used to beam developmental inputs to
>rural citizens.
>Currently, Nutra Indica is working on dissemination of indegenous
>knowledge. It is also promoting organic agriculture in haryanvi
>farmers. Says the group: "We are also promoting insitu and ex-
>situ conservation of germplasm. today we have convinced 30
>farmers in eight villages, and are developing a market for them by
>organising lectures in schools and while on farm visits. One
>farmer collected 65 varieties of cotton. He is growing all of them
>in his field." NI is also preparing audio tutorial programmes for
>rural students and women.
>Further details: Dayal Singh, Nutra Indica Research Council,
>675/25, Patel Nagar, Rohtak (Haryana) India
>Tel 0091.1262.55329 Fax 0091.1262.40700
>Email: [log in to unmask]
>
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>
>SIMPUTER: BytesForAll earlier reported on plans for building a
>sub-$200 computing device. This has attracted much interest. For
>details on the Simputer contact Vinay Deshpande of Encore
><[log in to unmask]>
>"He is more thank keen to receive any queries on the Simputer
>initiative," writes John Ribeiro <[log in to unmask]>, the
>journalist who wrote the article earlier.
>
>   >>*  SIMPUTER -- SUB-$200 INTERNET DEVICE to help non-literate
>   >>*  users: In an effort to bring the Internet to the masses in
>   >>*  India and other developing countries, several academics and
>   >>*  engineers have used their spare time to design a sub-$200
>   >>*  handheld Net appliance, writes Bangalore-based John Ribeiro of
>   >>*  IDG News Service (June 23).
>
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>
>WORKSHOP ON INTERNET AND DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA (Sept 14-15, 2001,
>Singapore). The growth of the Internet has been phenomenal in
>Asia as countries rush to embrace a technology that promises
>great potential. Yet Asia remains a vast region with great
>diversity in terms of economic development, political regimes,
>and cultural traditions. How has the Internet impacted the
>politics, economies and culture of these societies?
>Organisers invite abstracts on * Internet and Political
>Integration * Sovereignty Issues * Patterns of Inequality * Net
>Business Models and Work Arrangements * Ethics and the
>Information Age * Community and Identity
>Preferences will be given to abstracts that address specific
>Internet issues. We will also prefer papers incorporating data
>from quantitative and qualitative research projects.  One goal of
>the conference is to attract a critical synergy involving
>participants from academia, government, industry, and NGOs.
>Abstracts must be submitted by 15 January 2001 either 1) via
>email to either Dr Randy Kluver at [log in to unmask] or  Dr
>Kenneth Yang at [log in to unmask] or online.
>http://www.fas.nus.edu/icm/ for details and updates.
>
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>SCOPE-PAKISTAN'S "CCD-Coalition" list. There are 550 people on
>the list. The United Nations Convention on Combating
>Desertification (CCD) is now set to be implemented in the
>affected drylands. In order to accelerate CCD's implementation,
>idea of forming a "Multi-stakeholders Coalition Against
>Desertification" was conceived at a workshop held in Islamabad,
>Pakistan in May 1999.
>Details from : Tanveer Arif, Society for Conservation and
>Protection of Environment (SCOPE), D-141, Block 2, PECHS
>Karachi-75400 Pakistan Tel : 92 21 455 9448, 452 2562
>e-mail: [log in to unmask]
>More info about the list: http://www.topica.com/lists/ccdcalition
>To subscribe: send a blank email to [log in to unmask]
>
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>
>BANGLADESH PASSES IT COPYRIGHT LAW (BBC News, July 9): ...Under
>the Copyright Law 2000, which is what the new legislation is
>called, a student or researcher could freely use a software
>programme or chunk of a novel without infringing copyright or
>asking for permission.... Bangladesh has a growing information
>technology sector, and computer experts have long demanded a
>copyright law that would safeguard intellectual property. But
>they say the new law does not go far enough because it does not
>prohibit songs, writing or computer programmes from being
>reproduced without permission for non-commercial purposes. But a
>member of the Law Commission, Justice Naimuddin Ahmad... said
>Bangladesh was a developing country and its priority should be to
>protect consumers' interests rather than those of a few
>businessmen.
>
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>
>PAKISTAN PLALS TO BRING computer prices to RS 8,000: Information
>Technology buffs in Pakistan have reason to celebrate with a new
>government plan to bring down prices of personal computers (PCs)
>under Rs 8,000 only. The current minimum prices range around Rs
>25,000 for unbranded ones. The move comes in the wake of the
>government's decision to buy computers in bulk for educational
>institutions. The ministry is also trying to further reduce the
>charges for international bandwidth connectivity for Internet
>users, realising that the recent cut in price of the 64 kbps
>connectivity from Rs 100,000 a month to Rs 60,000 was not enough.
>(US $1 = RS 52 approximately).
>http://search.ft.com/search/multi/globalarchive.jsp?id=000801000163
>
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>
>BILL GATES OFFERS FUND FOR INDIA (Deepshikha Ghosh in India
>Abroad News Service, Sept 14): Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill
>Gates announced Thursday an initiative to take information
>technology (IT) to the rural heart of India and spoke of a
>convergence of interests between the software giant and the
>Indian government in harnessing IT for the masses. The money the
>world's richest man offered to fund the rural IT education
>initiative was a modest $5 million, or $1 million a year over the
>next five years. Information Technology Minister Pramod Mahajan,
>whose ministry will be given the money to spend on the
>initiative, stressed the symbolic value of the gesture and Gates'
>keen interest in India's efforts to spread the IT revolution.
>"For a country of 1 billion people, this (amount) is nothing,"
>said Mahajan, who downplayed any sense of disappointment after a
>50-minute meeting with Gates. "But he showed a keen interest
>nevertheless, which is good for India."
>Mahajan tried to interest Gates in a Rs. 5 billion project to be
>called 'Media Lab India' that will showcase the latest
>technologies and inventions in the IT sector and is expected to
>be finalised  in a year's time.
>
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>
>INDIA: 'NEED-BASED TECHNOLOGIES APT FOR RURAL TELEPHONY'
>(Business Line, Sept 14, 2000, New Delhi): A combination of
>technologies, based on specific needs, will be appropriate for
>rural telephony, according to the Indian Department of Telecom
>Operations (DTO) Secretary R.N. Goyal.
>Mr Goyal told a conference on Rural Telephony 2000 that "no one
>technology will be able to satisfy the demands of rural
>telephony", while admitting that rural telephony was a new market
>for investment and would prove a revenue spinner in times to come.
>"The cost of providing rural communications in India is high. The
>telephone connection in rural areas is 40 per cent costlier than
>any urban areas. So cheaper technology options have to be
>explored for rural connectivity," said Telecom Regulatory
>Authority of India (TRAI) member R.R.N. Prasad. Hence, he said
>analog MARR systems should be replaced by new digital MARR.
>"Wireless technologies such as TDA-PMP, CorDECT and village
>cellular phone are good options to be implemented," he suggested.
>Mr Rajendra Singh, Joint Secretary, TRAI, said that technologies
>deployed to provide rural communication should be able to carry
>the Internet traffic. Other officials added that the Government
>should allow Internet telephony as a cheaper option for
>communications in the rural and inaccessible areas.
>
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>
>KNOWNET INITIATIVE: Knowledge incubates in human mind and when
>applied innovatively becomes a factor of growth and development.
>KnowNet Initiative aims to popularise knowledge networking in
>developing countries for overall human development through the
>amalgamation of Information and Communication Technology and
>Remote Volunteering. It aims to create a team of ICT-volunteers
>to train one person in each rural village to open up a two-way
>communication channel for managing local information and
>knowledge for the benefit of the local communities.
>http://www.knownet.org
>
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>
>PAKISTAN ON THE LOOKOUT FOR RECONDITIONED PENTIUMS: Writes Isa
>Daudpota from Islamabad "Here in Pakistan, the Ministry of
>Science and Techchnology is looking seriously into getting
>reconditioned pentiums from the usa or elsewhere at throwaway
>prices.  Do you have any useful leads (urls and email addresses)
>of reliable suppliers?  Also info of people in the developing
>world who have tried this route to get machines into their
>countries?"
>Contact Isa Daudpota, Inst of Business Admin & Technology, Room
>101, Raza Noor Plaza, 24 West Jinnah Ave,  Blue Area, Islamabad,
>Pakistan. Email Isa Daudpota <[log in to unmask]>
>
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>
>INVESTORS PLAN BANGLADESH'S SILICON VALLEY: Investors in
>Bangladesh are planning to spend US$96 million to set up a
>Silicon Valley-style information technology park in the private
>Rangunia Export Processing Zone, Chittagong. Once official
>approval is granted, the scheme's backers hope to invest
>$75million on laying a submarine fiber optic cable to link to an
>international fiber optic backbone, with the rest of the money
>going to develop the park's infrastructure. (Posted Sept 18)
>http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/1/news/nssia01.html
>
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>
>NEW DEHLI -- The Gandhi Institute will receive a US$5 million grant
>from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the Bharatiya
>Vidya Bhavan's Free Job-oriented Computer Training Programme targeted
>at educated, unemployed youth under its Gandhi Institute for Computer
>Education & Information Technology, headquartered in Mumbai.
>"Bhavan's initiative to promote free computer education comes at
>a time when computer skills are becoming a basic qualification
>for jobs in India," said Mr. Murli Deora, Vice-Chairman of the
>Ghandi Institute.
>Mr. Deora's initiative, Bhavan's Free Computer Education Programme,
>was kickstarted in 1997 with its first centre being inaugurated
>at Bhavan's Mumbai (Bombay) headquarters.
>For more information, visit The Gandhi Institute of Computer
>Education's Web site at http://www.bhavangic.com.
>
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>
>MAHITI-INDIA was one of the finalists at the competition "ERICA
>2000". This contest was for the use of innovative and feasible
>ways to use Internet technology by non-profit institutions to
>further their cause.
>This Bangalore-based organisation from South India said: "Mahiti
>provides appropriate and affordable Information Technology
>services to India's voluntary sector.  Because the majority of
>India's voluntary sector does not have a web presence, if Mahiti
>wins an ERICA Award, it will build a web interface to enable
>6,700 Indian NGOs to create and maintain their own effective
>websites and intranets."
>
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>
>TELEMATICS FOR AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT: Balancing Act tells us about
>its work with the Telematics for African Development Consortium,
>another initiative focusing on providing free information on
>Telematics and Development to e-mail subscriber. This information
>service currently goes out to over 1000 subscribers most of whom
>are based in Africa. If you would like to receive free weekly
>Consortium circulars, send a request for subscription to
>[log in to unmask]
>
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>
>LEARNENGLISH WEBSITE: The LearnEnglish website is a free site to
>help young people around the world improve their English language
>skills.  Backed by the solid reputation of the British Council in
>English language teaching, the site features interactive games
>and quizzes, stories and poems, songs and lyrics, virtual
>postcards and useful links. http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish
>
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>
>PROMINENT VOICES IN CIVIL society and the Bretton Woods Project
><[log in to unmask]> has put out an Open Letter questioning the
>World Bank's Internet plans.
>The World Bank is planning a major sales pitch for its Gateway
>plans at its Prague Annual Meetings. Said the letter: "The Bank's
>Gateway team is claiming that just a few European malcontents
>still have problems with the plans and so the Bank should move
>full steam ahead. If civil society groups worldwide do not
>express their reservations/opposition clearly now, the Gateway is
>likely to eclipse the independent web initiatives many of us are
>involved in."
>For official information about the Gateway plans, see:
>http://www.worldbank.org/gateway
>For a civil society discussion on the Gateway (where many of the
>letter's points are discussed), see:
>http://www.bellanet.org/gdgprinciples Throughout October the Bank
>will hold an electronic consultation on the Gateway on:
>http://www.worldbank.org/devforum
>This letter says the Bank's gateway plans throws up many
>problems. Including (i) insufficient independence of Gateway
>governance (ii) the rejection of alternative design options (iii)
>insufficient communication/consultation (iv) overambition, and
>unfair-competition with its huge budget of $60 million over three years.
>
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>bYtES For aLL is a voluntary, unfunded venture that, for the
>purpose of spreading its ideals, seeks the involvement and
>support of all who agree with its goals. Contact us at
>[log in to unmask] * Compiled in public interest * CopyLeft
>bYtES For aLL volunteers team includes: Frederick in Goa, Partha
>in Dhaka, Zubair in Islamabad, Archana in Goa, Arun-Kumar in
>Dortmund, Shivkumar in Mumbai, Sangeeta in Nepal, Rajeeb in Nepal
>and Daryl in Chicago. To contact them mail [log in to unmask]
>May be freely circulated provided entire message is left intact.
>If you wish to reproduce in part, please write to us for
>permission; we have never refused to date.
>TO UN / SUBSCRIBE simply send a message to [log in to unmask]
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