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Why not! Internet can be an essential tool to provide education and
knowledge development. However, you are right in your last statement.
Internet should not be put within just some 'rights', as it is an
emerging technology and awaits much more out of it for the next
generation. Internet can be utilized to advance our society for the next
stage of development. But, in the context of education and knowledge
acquisition, Internet is a phenomena.<br><br>
Best regards,<br>
Hakik<br><br>
At 12:51 PM 2/2/2009, Guru wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">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: <br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">In message
<a href="mailto:49867410.5000106@itforchange.net">
<49867410.5000106@itforchange.net></a>, at 09:48:24 on Mon, 2 Feb
2009, Guru
<a href="mailto:guru@itforchange.net"><guru@itforchange.net></a>
writes <br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite 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'. </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 class=cite 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.
</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.
</blockquote><br><br>
<pre>--
Gurumurthy Kasinathan
IT for Change
Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities
Tel:98454 37730
<a href="http://www.ITforChange.net">www.ITforChange.net</a>
<a href="http://public-software.in/" eudora="autourl">
http://Public-Software.in</a>
<a href="http://India.IS-Watch.net">http://India.IS-Watch.net</a>
<a href="http://is-watch.net/" eudora="autourl">http://IS-Watch.net</a>
<a 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><font face="Courier New, Courier"></font>
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