Huge disparities in quality of education and access to education characterize the Nepali school system. Schools in rural areas, mostly government-run, compare poorly to schools in the cities. These government schools not only suffer because of the digital divide, but also lack the quality in teaching and tools to enhance the learning process. In fact, forget the "Digital Divide." The "Quality Divide" between "school-haves" and "school have-nots" is far more pressing. As the majority of students at primary and secondary level attend government schools, these discrepancies translate to poor outcomes and low quality of education. Thus, it is important to introduce reforms that aim to not only provide equal opportunity for education but also to improve the overall quality of education for all. But how to achieve this goal? It is a daunting task, especially for a developing nation like Nepal, to consider radical changes to its educational policies. I believe that Nepal can use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to improve the quality of education and expand access to education. OLPC, along with e-libraries, open-courseware, and other initiatives, can radically enhance the quality of education in Nepal.
A major indicator—although it can be argued that it is a poor one—of the status of education up to secondary level (grade 10) in Nepal, is the School Leaving Certificate (SLC). Students take the SLC exam at the end of grade 10 to mark the completion of requirements set by the government, indicating that a student has successfully completed at least 10 years of primary schooling. The data compiled over the last decade shows that on average a meager 38 percent of the total examinees pass the test. Among those who appear for the exam, about 80 percent come from public institutions, of which only about 41 percent succeed. The 20 percent that come from private schools have around an 88 percent pass rate and on average score 18 points higher compared to those from public schools. What it shows is the lack of quality and disparity in education among schools in Nepal. Equally deterring is the lack of use of technology—chiefly computers—in public schools. While most private and some public schools in the cities boast a meaningful incorporation of computer courses in their curriculum, it comes as no surprise that most others claim to have never seen one. The answer to how to improve quality and narrow the digital divide in education is not simple, but ICT seems to have answers to some of the problems plaguing the education system of Nepal.
The value of ICT in education lies in its capacity to deliver educational material that induces a self-learning process, simulating creative and innovative thinking. It is generally agreed upon that it induces a collaborative, self-learning environment that teacher-centered and whole-class lecture methods lack. Indeed, examples abound in American and European institutions where this method is already preferred. Teachers simply act as facilitators rather than instructors. The idea is not to curb the need for a teacher, but to let students learn through discovery.
It is important to understand the role played by ICT in the educational system of a developing nation like Nepal. It would be naive to think that by simply providing a technological tool to some kid in rural Nepal will actually improve his learning ability and outcome. In fact, research already shows that "educational materials in electronic form are most useful when directly linked to the curriculum." It becomes more relevant to teachers and students when it has components of the curriculum in it. The growing popularity of the use of ICT in e-libraries, e-learning, and distance learning are good examples.
There is no statistical evidence, however, that proves a positive impact of ICT on the quality of education or on learning outcomes. However, it is no reason to conclude that it cannot. Only a few decades ago, the notion that the internet would change the way we do business, interact, and communicate among other things would have been a laughable proposition. For most, the internet has now become ubiquitous.
Technology has the ability to bring change, and for developing nations, it can become a cost-effective and accessible tool to improve the quality of education. Many countries are already focusing on implementing ICT in education. A majority of educational projects funded by UNESCO, the World Bank, and other private organizations contain an ICT component. It is done with the belief that ICT is a viable option that has the potential to improve both education and lives of many in these developing countries.
The OLPC initiative can play a vital role in making ICT-based education sustainable in Nepal by becoming a cost-effective and affordable means to reach populations in rural areas. More importantly, it has a large open-source base that enables localization and modification, which adds a sense of ownership. But the challenge is more than simply giving laptops to children; it is to understand how they can enhance the teaching and learning process. The laptop by itself is a great tool for learning. It is durable, child-friendly, and is all about collaborative learning, sharing, and communicating. But the best thing about it is that it empowers local groups like OLE Nepal to make this project our own Nepali, Thai, or Nigerian project.
OLE Nepal and the Department of Education of Nepal, along with other local organizations, are working on various aspects of the OLPC project. OLE Nepal is implementing the OLPC pilot in April 2008 and is steadfastly working with various sectors of the community to take the project forward. The Danish IT Society has supported OLE Nepal’s efforts by signing an MoU with OLE Inc., to raise funds for laptops for Nepal. The Danish government, through its embassy in Nepal, is funding the pilot. The Ministry of Education, along with its partners, is also actively involved in building the infrastructure required for the project. A few remote Makwanpur districts are already connected to the Department of Education through wireless technology, and work is in progress to connect more.
OLE Nepal is also focusing on developing learning activities that are linked to the national curriculum to be used with the laptops. Constructionist Education does not mean giving children a blank slate and expecting them to invent calculus. Teachers and curriculum experts are guiding the development of these activities. In fact, OLE Nepal is partnering with the Department of Education of Nepal to develop such activities. The two signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work together to create these activities that meet the learning objectives specified in the curriculum while allowing students to use their abilities to learn on their own.
The activities are interactive in nature and can be modified by teachers even with minimal programming knowledge. This gives teachers the ability to change things according to their needs, enhancing the teaching process. One can easily find the similarity between these activities and the actual textbook; only now it is more fun to learn. Not only does this help to convince the government, the teaching community, and the parents who would otherwise find few if any reason to spend the already stretched budget on OLPC, it more importantly promises students a chance at better education and creative endeavors.
The OLPC project has received a positive reaction from different sectors of the community. Teachers like the potential the project promises, students who have used the activities like what they see, and the government seems enthusiastic about implementing it. One point that critics usually raise about the OLPC project is its lack of attention to actual educational activities in the laptop. But OLPC is looking to put its laptop into the hands of populations around the world, and creating educational material that addresses the global population is not best done by an organization based in a wealthy Western city. This work is best done by local organizations. The work done by OLE Nepal can be taken as an example, and similar work can be collaborated for localized use with the laptop.
The initiative taken by the Ministry of Education to integrate the OLPC project into the national system has already taken some steps forward. But much more needs to be done to actually see the results. Network infrastructure, internet access, long-term financing, human capital, and general awareness about modern technology are a few things that need immediate attention. Training teachers to effectively utilize the technology is equally important. We need more people to come to Nepal to work on projects like this, especially young Nepalese living abroad. I give the example of all our volunteers who have the vision and commitment to make a difference.