<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><br>
I did not say that "</font>Internet is *essential* in order to provide
education" as the argument to subsume right to internet within right to
education. <br>
<br>
My submission is - in todays world, unless a person understands how to
use the internet and benefit from it/participate in it, his/her ability
to navigate society in a way as to maximise his potential including
availing his rights and fulfulling his responsibilities as a citizen of
a democracy will be significantly affected. The basic aim of education
is to enable the learner to be able to navigate society in this manner
(see John Dewey on education and democracy for more details of this
reasoning). In this sense, the right to internet is subsumed within the
right to education.<br>
<br>
regards<br>
Guru<br>
<br>
Roland Perry wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:1xtfqDCBCqhJFACG@perry.co.uk" type="cite">In
message <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:49867410.5000106@itforchange.net"><49867410.5000106@itforchange.net></a>, at 09:48:24 on Mon, 2
Feb 2009, Guru <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:guru@itforchange.net"><guru@itforchange.net></a> writes
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">As I suggested earlier, education in todays
world has to necessarily include acquiring capacities to navigate the
information society that the internet is 'creating' and in this sense,
'right to education', which is part of the UNDHR, subsumes a 'right to
the internet'.
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
If you are suggesting that Internet is *essential* in order to provide
education (and therefore a right to education includes a right to
Internet) then I must disagree with you.
<br>
<br>
But I *can* agree that [electrical] power, PCs/software and some
education (which includes educating the family to permit all family
members to use the access, as well as basic literacy) are necessary to
access the Internet.
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Also Roland, the '90:10' ratio may be true in
some places, but in most parts of the world is likely to be more around
50:50 or even 20:80 ..... suggesting even greater requirement of global
efforts including those relating to public policy.
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
If the ratio is below [approx] 90:10 (which it's obvious is the case in
mush of the world), then it is still possible (and right and proper) to
have an ambition to extend access to the Internet. But don't call it
"Universal Service", because that's a regulatory concept, which
requires the situation where the many can subsidise the few.
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Gurumurthy Kasinathan
IT for Change
Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities
Tel:98454 37730
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.ITforChange.net">www.ITforChange.net</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://Public-Software.in">http://Public-Software.in</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://India.IS-Watch.net">http://India.IS-Watch.net</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://IS-Watch.net">http://IS-Watch.net</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://content-commons.in">http://content-commons.in</a>
*IT for Change is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with United Nations’ Economic and Social Council*
</pre>
</body>
</html>