ICT for Illiteracy Eradication: An Example of Success and Progress
Resala, located in Mohandessin, is one of the NGOs that is part of the wider network of the Illiteracy Eradication Program that is supervising the Illiteracy Eradication seminars. The ICT for Illiteracy Eradication CDs is an interactive computer tutorial requiring minimal input from the students to promote basic literacy. They are distributed through the IT Club network and in General Authority for Literacy Adult Education (GALAE) classes through NGOs and other social service and education providers. The program was developed jointly by the ICT Trust Fund and the MCIT (Ministry of Communication and Information Technology) in January 2002 to use ICTs to further development in Egypt by increasing awareness of its benefits, and making it more accessible and affordable to all citizens.
Currently there are three CDs that have been developed from already existing books to promote the use of ICT in local communities and especially to address the needs of the lower class that do not easily have access to computers. Heba, one of the volunteers that function as supervisor at Resala, tells me that the program works very well and the demand of the people who want to participate is steadily increasing. “There are 80% women that are participating in the courses. In general, one course takes as little as two months as compared to the completion of the first book which takes about four months. The women are really excited about this program and most of the time all the participants pass the final exam.”
Mahrousa, age 42, who is a housewife and mother, is one of them. She heard about the program from her son Ahmed, 9, who is taking free private lessons at Resala. He asked the supervisor if his mother could participate in the next session. Mahrousa, whose husband fixes cars and only finished primary school, is really happy about the progress she made. “In the beginning it was really difficult”, she says. “I’ve never worked with computers before. But now I know how to write, read and do mathematics. I did not have a clear idea about grammar and now I know how to use tenses, tables and I even know how to calculate my goods when I go shopping.” She attends the courses twice a week, so that there is still enough time left for her to complete her duties at home. One of the main reasons, however, why Mahrousa participated in the program was because she wanted to help her son Ahmed with is homework and because she wanted to be able to read the Koran. Now she can do both and most of all, her son is really happy that his mother can help him with his assignments.
Mahrousa and her son Ahmed are only one good example of the advantages and benefits that go hand in hand with the use of ICT and which can have an instant progressive impact on people’s daily lives.
