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Digital Literacy Center to Raise Awareness of Digital Technology

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Terry Cullen

Dec 26, 2023

Bangladesh

Categories:

Children, Technology, Education

Please note the source for this article is written in Bangla and will require translation. Readers using the Chrome web browser will have the option to have Google translate the article into the language of their choice when the article first loads.


The Bangladeshi newspaper, Kaler Kantho published an interesting article on October 26, 2021, on a nationwide program to increase digital literacy.


Digital Bangladesh is a national program, in this country of 166.8 million people, formed to create universal connectivity and access to digital devices. It has been working on that mission for the past decade.


As the network was being built out and device access secured, it was discovered that not all people know how to use digital technology equally. For example, in the cities, 41% of the people know how to use social media but only 15% can make video calls, 5% know how to use email and less than 5% can shop online or earn income online. The national government has launched an initiative to do just that. The curriculum is being finalized by the country’s top domain experts and stakeholders were allowed to review and comment.


For context, Bangladesh is a country in southern Asia in the Ganges River delta, bordering the Bay of Bengal. It is a country with an area of 143,998 km² and is slightly larger than Greece (population in 2021 - 10,353,724) (131,957 km²) or slightly smaller than Iowa (population in 2021- 3.14 million people). Bangladesh has a population of more than 166 million people, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. There is an especially deep divide between urban and rural participation rates in computer use. Lack of knowledge has led “to social, political and personal psychological problems such as not being able to identify false news or misinformation online, falling prey to temptation and deception, falling prey to cyber hunters, cyberbullying, harassment of women, and not knowing about online etiquette.”


Five (5) target age groups have been targeted with the curriculum - 3rd to 5th-grade school children, 6th to 12th-grade school children, 20-35-year-olds, parents of children 0-10 years of age, and the general public.
Starting with children as young as in the 3rd grade and including a separate target demographic for parents of children 0-10 years of age. Sadly, there have been many cases of children being exploited through the internet and parents unknowing of what is happening, sometimes with horrific consequences.


When I was young, we were taught in school basic safety measures. We were taught how to ride a bicycle safely following the rules of the road. A police officer came in to teach us interpersonal safety skills, such as never to take a ride from a stranger. We were taught what to do if we were caught in a building that was on fire or where to take refuge during a tornado event. Digital literacy seems to be a perfect complement in today’s age, a fundamental life skill that everyone needs to function in today’s global society whether you are a child in Bangladesh or a child in an African country or a European one. The implications for personal wellbeing including economic success, communication, education, health, or safety are profound. We have become a truly global society in a short period.


Changing a school curriculum can be a very tedious and political process, even if the need is great and urgent. This is something that may be done more expediently with neighborhood associations, community centers, and local non-profit organizations. Are the children in your community ready for their role in the world’s next wave of digital evolution or will they be left behind trying to catch up?


Originally published November 23, 2021.

Source:

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Catalog #:

1021.100.01.112321

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