On that note, ICT Board: What DO people do on those Pasha Centre computers?? Does it match the Alexa stats for most popular sites in Kenya? <br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 11 June 2010 14:49, Barrack Otieno <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:otieno.barrack@gmail.com">otieno.barrack@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">Well put Andrea and as someone put it there is a difference between<br>
having computers in schools and using computers in schools. Clearly we<br>
have got some thinking to do, i hope our good friends in government<br>
can see the salient issues being raised<br>
<div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
On Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 1:46 PM, Andrea Bohnstedt<br>
<<a href="mailto:andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com">andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com</a>> wrote:<br>
> Good points, Barrack.<br>
><br>
> I have wondered along the same lines:<br>
><br>
> Just throwing computers out there makes little sense. I suspect that unless<br>
> the use of computers is integrated into some sort of teaching or training<br>
> effort, then rural people, like everyone else, will use them to surf the web<br>
> for online dating, Facebook, music, smut and so on (I'd love to see stats<br>
> from the Pasha centres which websites people actually visit). That's all<br>
> cool, except I don't think it needs to be covered by taxpayers.<br>
><br>
> It'd be great to have computer training etc in schools. But then wouldn't it<br>
> be more sensible to include this in schools' overall budget and leave the<br>
> administration up to them? Obviously there are a whole bunch of issues with<br>
> school as we can see from the FPE money that went safari, but if schools<br>
> can't manage those funds, they won't be able to manage computers either.<br>
><br>
> Happy footie/furahi day,<br>
> Andrea<br>
><br>
> On 11 June 2010 14:38, Barrack Otieno <<a href="mailto:otieno.barrack@gmail.com">otieno.barrack@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> Interesting discussion going on , i am abit pessimistic though about<br>
>> the success of this new initiative, my greatest concern is whether the<br>
>> move is well informed or that there is a potential of it turning into<br>
>> a White elephant of sorts. We have had many initiatives aimed at<br>
>> ensuring ICT tools are available and accessible to all, however there<br>
>> has been very little feedback or research on how this initiatives have<br>
>> faired on or their real impact on the community.<br>
>> That said i am asking myself whether it is better to teach a man how<br>
>> to fish or whether we should keep buying fish for them. To elaborate<br>
>> if we focus on capacity building we will enable the people to see the<br>
>> need for buying computers whether refurbished or not, when they buy<br>
>> the computers they will expect to get value for money (aka roi) and as<br>
>> such we are likely to see more innovative communities proping up from<br>
>> all corners of the country, it is for this reason that i feel this<br>
>> move is ill advised and something needs to be done before the money<br>
>> goes down the drain, computers are not an end in themselves they are<br>
>> just a means to an end, the notion that they are an end must be done<br>
>> away with.<br>
>> Well i suppose it is time the communication commision or any other<br>
>> relevant body conducted a study on the impact of previous initiatives<br>
>> similar to the one being implemented i suppose it is our right as<br>
>> citizens of this great republic to be informed. I fully support the<br>
>> other issues raised by fellow listers, i would also like to know where<br>
>> we are with the e-mado project and where it fits in this arrangement.<br>
>> I would like to hear from stakeholders their take on this matter<br>
>><br>
>> On Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 11:36 AM, Ngũgĩ Kĩmani <<a href="mailto:ngugi@mafundi.co.ke">ngugi@mafundi.co.ke</a>><br>
>> wrote:<br>
>> > Back in March 2010, the Kenyan government had announced a proposed ban<br>
>> > on<br>
>> > second-hand computers, aimed at avoiding dumping and reducing electronic<br>
>> > waste in the country.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > Well I've not heard that the ban is being enforced, or lifted, but I am<br>
>> > a<br>
>> > buyer of second hand branded computers and I have established that they<br>
>> > are<br>
>> > indeed more stable and reliable than "new" assembled klones.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > I would advocate that the sale of second hand Dells and HPs and Compaqs<br>
>> > etc<br>
>> > be allowed to continue, in fact be encouraged over assembly of klones,<br>
>> > because some of those computers have a minimum of 256 MB RAM +<br>
>> > 2.something<br>
>> > processors and this is clearly adequate to run most open source<br>
>> > applications. What does a new user of computers need anyway - just OS<br>
>> > proficiency + word processing + spreadsheet. They can then move to<br>
>> > faster<br>
>> > computers as their proficiency increases.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > :)<br>
>> ><br>
>> > --<br>
>> > Ngũgĩ Kĩmani<br>
>> > Fundi wa Mitambo<br>
>> ><br>
>> ><br>
>> > On 11 June 2010 11:58, Josiah Mugambi <<a href="mailto:jmugambi@gmail.com">jmugambi@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> It is safe I suppose to assume that not all targeted schools have a<br>
>> >> reliable (if any) source of electricity. Is there a plan for this?<br>
>> >><br>
>> >><br>
>> >> --<br>
>> >> Josiah Mugambi<br>
>> >><br>
>> >><br>
>> >> On Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 11:35 AM, Vitalis Olunga <<a href="mailto:volunga@yahoo.com">volunga@yahoo.com</a>><br>
>> >> wrote:<br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>> The plan (purchasing of) for computers for schools, if implemented,<br>
>> >>> seems<br>
>> >>> more sustainable than the last year's budget for mobile ICT buses for<br>
>> >>> constituencies. What the constituency leaders should now work for is<br>
>> >>> to<br>
>> >>> ensure the allocation of resources from the CDF to build computer labs<br>
>> >>> in<br>
>> >>> schools where they may be lacking. Many emerging schools may still be<br>
>> >>> lacking computer labs and science labs as of now. One such school<br>
>> >>> where I am<br>
>> >>> the chairman of BGO (Obambo, Siaya) is yet to have a computer lab in<br>
>> >>> place, and has no equipped science lab, but is it one of the best in<br>
>> >>> the<br>
>> >>> district (both in academic performance and sports).<br>
>> >>> Regards<br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>> Vitalis<br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>> ________________________________<br>
>> >>> From: "<a href="mailto:ikua@lpakenya.org">ikua@lpakenya.org</a>" <<a href="mailto:ikua@lpakenya.org">ikua@lpakenya.org</a>><br>
>> >>> To: <a href="mailto:volunga@yahoo.com">volunga@yahoo.com</a><br>
>> >>> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>><br>
>> >>> Sent: Fri, June 11, 2010 9:20:18 AM<br>
>> >>> Subject: [kictanet] the budget and ICT<br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>> Listers,<br>
>> >>> The Government will spend 1.3B to buy 300 computers in each of the 210<br>
>> >>> constituencies. That means that each of the 63,000 computers will cost<br>
>> >>> the<br>
>> >>> taxpayer KSh 20,634/=. This is a very good initiative.<br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>> Now, they say that these computers will be assembled by institutions.<br>
>> >>> I<br>
>> >>> just hope this does not mean they will go for clones. They would do<br>
>> >>> much<br>
>> >>> better with branded, refurbished computers. As far as I know, the<br>
>> >>> minister<br>
>> >>> did not mention anything touching on used computers in the budget.<br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>> Now then, at this price, there is absolutely no allowance for software<br>
>> >>> purchases. Which is all well as these computers can be loaded with<br>
>> >>> open<br>
>> >>> source software that will give much more value to the investment<br>
>> >>> anyway. So<br>
>> >>> we will be watching keenly to see what kind of deals Microsoft will<br>
>> >>> try to<br>
>> >>> push at the government to include their software in these computers,<br>
>> >>> probably at a ¨small price¨.<br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>> The open source community is available and willing to advise the<br>
>> >>> Government on the best way of ensuring that tax payer money is used<br>
>> >>> prudently for the benefit of this country.<br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>> Ikua<br>
>> >>> LPA-Kenya<br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>> _______________________________________________<br>
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>> >>><br>
>> >>><br>
>> >>> _______________________________________________<br>
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>> >>><br>
>> >><br>
>> >><br>
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>> >><br>
>> ><br>
>> ><br>
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>> ><br>
>> ><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> --<br>
>> Barrack O. Otieno<br>
>> +41767892272<br>
>> Skype: barrack.otieno<br>
>><br>
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>><br>
>> This message was sent to: <a href="mailto:andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com">andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com</a><br>
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><br>
><br>
><br>
> --<br>
> Andrea Bohnstedt<br>
> Publisher<br>
> +254 720 960 322<br>
> <a href="http://www.ratio-magazine.com" target="_blank">www.ratio-magazine.com</a><br>
><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</div></div>--<br>
<div><div></div><div class="h5">Barrack O. Otieno<br>
+41767892272<br>
Skype: barrack.otieno<br>
</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Andrea Bohnstedt<br>Publisher<br>+254 720 960 322 <br><a href="http://www.ratio-magazine.com">www.ratio-magazine.com</a> <br>