Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
A brief introduction to Orissa may be useful
at this point, in endeavoring to understand not
only the difficulties in the use of ICT but also the
differences between the practice of social work/
community development in the field and the ac-
cess issues for students to ICT. Orissa, a state on
the eastern coast of India is resource rich however
48% of its approximately 38 million population
live below the official poverty line. 16% and 22%
of its population belongs to the scheduled caste
and scheduled tribe categories respectively. These
categories are acknowledged by the Constitution
of India and have entitlement to positive discrimi-
nation because of their historical marginalization.
Due to the remoteness of various regions in the
state, large pockets of the population (the erstwhile
Koraput-Bolangir-Kalahandi districts) have little
access to services and are socially excluded.
Where the state has proved to be ineffective
in the provision of services, NGO's and private
sector agencies have stepped in to fill the gap.
It is in this context, that the Centurion group of
Institutions (CGI) have come into existence in a
remote district of Orissa. Their main objective is
to provide opportunities to the excluded popula-
tions to gain access to quality education at dif-
ferent levels, extending from primary through to
tertiary education. It is with the CGI that RMIT
University (Victoria, Australia) has developed a
partnership for social work field education. CGI
also collaborate with local institutions (state and
non-state) in pursuit of their objective. Two such
collaborating local NGO's (BREDS and Velugu
Association) provide placement experience from
Australia. While the two NGO's are actually lo-
cated in the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh
they share similar demographics.
The experience of total isolation associated
with the remoteness of this region has led us to
acknowledge the importance of students partici-
pating in group placements in Orissa rather than
individual field experience. Remoteness also
meant that the ICT services provided mainly by
the state provider are limited. With the entry into
the market of private providers, the situation has
improved considerably. The Institutional partner
in Orissa, CSREM has made an effort to put in
place ICT services to enable students to access
their university for academic information and
resources, liaison and supervision and also to use
e-mail, google talk and skype to communicate with
their personal and professional support networks.
CSREM has a designated computer laboratory
for students on international placements with
24hour Internet connectivity. There is also regu-
lar telephone contact with supervisor and liaison
person. Where students possess mobile phones,
they have been effectively used, especially to seek
immediate clarifications. Further, the Institution
has put in place audio/ video conferencing fa-
cilities for the purposes of teaching, supervision
and liaison which will benefit the next group of
students. However, these facilities have had dif-
ferential benefits for students depending on the
NGO in which they are placed (primarily due to
the distance).
There is another limitation posed to the ex-
pectations of students and universities. The prac-
titioners of social work/ community development
in the field in Orissa are less dependent on ICT's
and draw attention to how they contrast with the
aspirations of communities as well as the self
reliance that the practitioners are attempting to
achieve with these communities. There is a lot of
sharing of scarce resources within and between
organizations and therefore organizations do not
invest heavily in ICT infrastructure. CSREM has
stepped in to bridge this gap.
moDelS of international
fielD eDucation anD ict
Experiential learning is an integral part of hu-
man service education through structured group
interactions and field education. While face-to-
face contact is the focus, if not the foundation of
human services field education across all human
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