[UgaBYTES] Management Dialog

[Ananya Guha]

I agree with Shipra.We also have give emphasis to education: neo literacy, digital literacy etc. A telecentre can be developed as a resource model such as a village learning centre. We can have Facilitators who will serve as Counsellors. The Distance Education model can be effectually used to ' teach ' the rural community.
   
  Ananya.S.Guha
  IGNOU.

Shipra Sharma <shipra_sharma28 at yahoo.com> wrote:
      Hi All,
  Sorry for entering the debate at a later stage, but could not help it since the discussion is getting more and more interesting, especially around the issues of sustainability. I agree with both Kiringai and Shaddy. The sustainability of the telecentre depends on how relevant it is for the rural community it serves. The user community is ready to pay if the services offered by the telecentre are supporting their livelihood or their well being in general in the areas of health, education or even entertainment. And, as suggested by Shaddy, coordination is the key to offer these, thus the importance of the 'infomediary' role of the telecentre manager cannot be ignored.   
  Regarding telecentre sustainability, we have to realise that every village or a cluster of villages has some 'core competency', such as specializing in the production of a particular agriculture produce/ commercial crop, handicrafts, poultry or milk products and so on (I am telling from my Indian rural experience). If the teleecntre, initially, targets towards supporting these small enterprises through the ICTs available with them (e.g., enabling their profitable marketing, solving their challenges, connecting them with experts from relevant fields), the community will be the most willing to pay for them. These are the areas where an ordinary peasant/ local entrepreneur faces problems and where their well endowed (in terms of money/ finances!) counterparts score very high. This way the telecentre can also bring about equity in availing available opportunities. The user community will pay for it, as anyway, they spend for the transaction and other costs involved.
  Therefore, need assessment of the community is the first step and its prioritisation (determined by the rule of the 'majority' and the ability of the telecentre manager in managing these) is the next one. The telecentre manager can develop services around these, starting with offering some basic advices regarding prevailing market prices, nearest markets, health centres and their timings/ off days, vet. hospitals, doctors and their timings/ off days, etc. etc. this information is not hard to obtain and will save the poor from all the trouble of running here and there and spending unnecessarily.
   
  Cheers,
  Shipra

"B. Shadrach" <bshadrach at telecentre.org> wrote:
      st1\:* {   BEHAVIOR: url(#default#ieooui)  }      @font-face {   font-family: Microsoft Sans Serif;  }  @page Section1 {size: 8.5in 11.0in; margin: 1.0in 77.95pt 1.0in 77.95pt; }  P.MsoNormal {   FONT-SIZE: 11pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Microsoft Sans Serif"  }  LI.MsoNormal {   FONT-SIZE: 11pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Microsoft Sans Serif"  }  DIV.MsoNormal {   FONT-SIZE: 11pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Microsoft Sans Serif"  }  A:link {   COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline  }  SPAN.MsoHyperlink {   COLOR: blue;   TEXT-DECORATION: underline  }  A:visited {   COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline  }  SPAN.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {     COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline  }  P.MsoPlainText {   FONT-SIZE: 10pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Courier New"  }  LI.MsoPlainText {   FONT-SIZE: 10pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Courier New"  }  DIV.MsoPlainText {   FONT-SIZE: 10pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY:
 "Courier New"  }  DIV.Section1 {   page: Section1  }  OL {   MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in  }  UL {   MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in  }      I think Kiringai has got it right.  The sustainability of telecentres largely depends upon their relevance to the local populace, mainly as a tool that connects the demand with the source.  One of the critical issues in this is the ability to coordinate with knowledge sources within, around and outside the community in order to fulfil the needs of the community, be it in agri-business, health service or livelihoods.  In Mission 2007, among the five Cs promoted, knowledge 'C'oordination forms an integral part.  Most of the telecentres that have succeeded in demonstrating their value have done this bit well enough - mainly by coordinating with local actors as effectively as possible.
   
  Kirigai's point about the big picture is something we need to have at the back of our minds. Else, telecentres will be operating in isolation, exactly as Kiringain mentions as the technology outfit for learning some office applications among the youth and the children within the community.
  
Cheers
  Shaddy
   

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