Information and Communication Technology Will Not Reduce Poverty in Developing Countries

1310 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Technological effect on today's education

Poverty is a major problem in developing countries. This problem could cause less education, unemployment, low quality of health and lack of information among people. There are many ways to diminish poverty such as giving subsidies, reduced tax, free education and providing information and communication technology (ICT) for the poor. There are evidences that ICT such as mobile phone, computer and internet could be the solution to decrease poverty in poor countries because it could increase knowledge and open new business opportunities. However, there are also number of obstacles to apply it in those countries for poverty reduction due to lack of funds to provide infrastructures, limit knowledge to use this technology and lack of language skill. This essay will argue that information and communication technology (ICTs) are not the best way to reduce poverty in developing countries since lack of capital to deploy it, as well as limit of technical and communication skills.

ICT has several advantages for developing countries especially for increase economic growth because it could increase knowledge and give business opportunities. The major advantage is that with technology poor counties can rapidly transform their live, doing business, access information and also communication to each other. According to Rodriguez Casal (2007) ICTs are able to increase peoples knowledge and are an effective way for poverty reduction. It is because people in poor countries especially who live in rural area they can improve their knowledge and easy to get access to education. As a result with good education they can increase their quality of life for example has opportunity to get better job. In the same article the information and communication te...

... middle of paper ...

... provide the devices. Another problem many people in rural areas lack education and are unable to speak the global language. Thus, developing countries must address their economic problems and build good infrastructure such as electricity, schools, and roads for their society, after that they could use technology to develop peoples knowledge and increase the quality of life.

References

Casal, Carlos Rodriguez "ICT for education and development", info, Vol. 9 Iss: 4 (2007)

Kenny, Charles. “Should We Try to Bridge the Global Digital Divide?” info, Vol. 4, No. 3 (2002)

Leye, V. Information and Communication Technologies for Development: A Critical Perspective. Global Governance, 15(1), 29-35. (2009, January)

Maier, Sylvia G. and Michael L. Best Gender, Culture and ICT Use in Rural South India

Gender, Technology and Development May 2007 11: 137-155

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Eric Schmidt And Jared Cohen's Our Future Selves

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poor countries do not always have resources to fit the bill of education services for technology. “For children in poor countries, future connectivity promises new access to educational tools…” (Schmidt 227). “Physical classrooms will remain dilapidated; teachers will continue to take paychecks and not show up for class; and books and supplies will still be scarce” (Schmidt 227). A survey was done in 2012 about Ethiopia give out tablets fully loaded with educational information to poor country; it irresistibly gave poor students a wealth of knowledge where students could write and speak English (Schmidt 227-228). Inversely, the education of poor countries has hit all time low. The countries that do not have the finance to buy or create technology for classes is detrimental to the country growth. Technology must be available for everyone. The world is hindered from becoming a better place without technology being present in education. “Just imagine the implications of these burgeoning mobile or tablet-based learning platforms for a country like Afghanistan,

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Digital Disconnect

    1560 Words  | 4 Pages

    As this critical juncture begins to take place, there has been much debate between scholars as to whether we should be enthusiastic or wary of these new changes. In Digital Disconnect and in his lectures, McChesney observes both views in an attempt to advance the discussion. On one side, the celebrants are embracing the Internet as a medium that will change society for the better. In Digital Disconnect, McChesney says, “In sum, the celebrants reaffirm one of the most important original arguments from the 1990s, that the Internet will be a force for democracy and good worldwide, ending monopolies of information and centralized control over communication” (McChesney 8). In my opinion, this celebrant view should only be regarded as a best-case scenario because of the unexpected obstacles for society that can...

    Read More

  • E-Commerce in Canada

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    The usage of the internet is growing faster than any other type of technology. In fact, statistics demonstrate that between 1993 and 1997, the numbers of internet hosts increased from 1 million to approximately 20 million (Zambia, 1999). Furthermore, by 2001 that figure grew exponentially to 120 million (Zambia, 1999). Now, there are almost 2 billions users that use the internet which represents a significant portion of the global population. These statistics alone demonstrate how the intensity of the internet can have a strong impact on economic development.

    Read More

  • Facts That Lead To Poverty: Th

    1907 Words  | 4 Pages

    Poverty occurs in most parts of the world. Nevertheless, the more serious and problematical poverty takes part in the third world and the southern parts of the globe. First of all, we have to clearly define the word “poverty';. In a broad sense, it means that people within this “poverty'; region are poor or have a lower average income per capita than other regions. To a deeper approach, we refer “poverty'; as people have low educational backgrounds, lack of food supplies, or people with lower standard of livings, etc. According to the Webster’s New World Dictionary, the word “poverty'; can be defined as: 1) the condition or quality of being poor 2) deficiency; inadequacy 3) scarcity (Webster’s p.461). Generally in this essay, we will examine the facts that lead to the poverty of these third world and southern countries.

    Read More

  • The Effects Of Poverty

    1707 Words  | 4 Pages

    “More than 1.14 billion people estimated in 2011 to be living below the international poverty line of 1.25 dollars a day” (Prabhakar 1). Poverty is an issue that impacts people all over the world, even in our own backyard of Greeley Colorado we can see the effects of poverty effecting people. Poverty is explained by the Webster dictionary as the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions, or in the other words the state of being poor. Many people correlate the definition of poverty to being an international only issue that effects people in country’s that are not rich in greater resources or are lacking the development in becoming a wealthier nation. What one should know about poverty is that

    Read More

  • College Students and Multitasking

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dretzin, Rachel, prod. Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Fron. Dir. Rachel Dretzin. 2010. PBS. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

  • Organic Farming vs Factory Farming

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    middle of paper ... ... Internet. The Internet. The Internet. 20 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Poverty

    626 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin with, poverty is very difficult to define. However, it is a condition where the basic needs of mankind namely food, clothing and shelter are not met. According to the World Bank indicators, 2008, over three billion people, live on less than $2.50 a day and at least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day. It is also a well-known fact that more than 80% of the world’s population lives in countries where salary gaps are wide. The poorest 40% of the world’s population accounts for 5% of global income and the richest 20% accounts for three-quarters of world income.

    Read More

  • The World Issue: Poverty: A Global Issue

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lack of education and poverty often go hand in hand. Education begins at a young age and is an influential factor in determining ones financial status. Today, education remains an inaccessible right for millions of children around the world. More than seventy-two million children of primary education age are not in school and seven hundred and fifty-nine million adults are illiterate and do not have the awareness necessary to improve both their living conditions and those of their children.

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Social Media

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    Surveying the Digital Future: How the PC and Internet are changing the world. (1999, June). Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Center for Communication Policy.

    Read More

  • Information and Communication Technology in Saudi Arabia

    1933 Words  | 4 Pages

    Saudi Arabia has developed rapidly in all sectors because of information and communication technology. ICT has significant impact in all sectors of economy of Saudi Arabia. It has also enabled the government to implement strategies that benefit citizens in terms of information technology that has led to high GDP and economic growth. The desert land that Saudi Arabia is known for has faded to an ICT hub. This is because of the strategic value that information technology has provided the country is insurmountable. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia exposes children to ICT at an early age through introduction of information and communication technology in schools so as to prepare them for the complex technological society that awaits them later in life.

    Read More

  • Learning and Teaching in the 21st Century

    1203 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...s to experiment and develop various working models and new applications. Knowledge is not confined to the caste based or class based criterion. It is adopted by everyone. Technological tools, such as, I pad and Mobile phones has facilitated the learner to develop and know the basic concepts acquire at least the basic knowledge. It has facilitated the teachers to teach many students from one place even of the different countries. Skype, like applications has made the experts of one country available for others. The same way internet communication has compelled the learners to e-learning technology. It has helped to learn about the geography, culture and ethics of other countries as well. It has helped the learners to develop critical thinking, power of reasoning so well that they have the answer to most of questions even the topic is taught to them in the classroom.

    Read More

  • Communication Technology

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    Communication is a critical thing in today’s society because the exchange of information is vital in living. People live both locally and globally through technological connections by maintaining contact and interaction between individuals from all corners of the world. Communication binds people, helps maintaining the society healthy and enables people to interact and make friends from different regions and cultures. According to Adrian in 2006, communication and information technology plays a great role in the individuals’ life. There is a high rate of growth of the communication technology industry and the benefits as more people come up with new means of communication by day. A point has reached where activities cannot function without information technology due to the many benefits which come along with the current day technologies. Moreover, the industry plays a great role in improving the nation’s economy by facilitating fast and easier means of doing things and offering employment to many people across the world.

    Read More

  • The Impact of the Internet on Society

    1597 Words  | 4 Pages

    Gabbel, Alfred S. "How the Internet Changed Our World." Science and Technology June 2004: 73-75.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Between Technology and Society

    1278 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first area where technology and society relates most is communication. People in a society must pass information from one person to another to maintain order. Traditionally, information dissemination was done using inefficient methods such as the messengers and would take long time before it reached to the intended recipient depending on the distance. Technological advancement that resulted in introduction of more efficient means of communication such as mobile phones and computers led to contextualization of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT). This had a direct impact on the society as now information could be disseminated amongst a larger group and in the contemporary wo...

    Read More

More about Information and Communication Technology Will Not Reduce Poverty in Developing Countries

Open Document