ICT Usage At Hohola Youth Development Centre

Written by:

Kasi Nathaniel; Pono Walter; Pongi Richard and Manuai Barthol
 
Introduction
According to Wikipedia online (http://wikipedia/wiki/Digital_divide) , digital divide is defined as an economic and social inequality according to categories of persons in a given population in their access to, use of or knowledge of information and communication technologies (ICT).It is a term used to describe the gap between those who have ready access to information and communication technologies, and those who do not have access or skills to those same technologies within a geographic area, society or community. It is and economic or social inequality between individuals or groups of persons.

Definition and Background of the Project.
We have identified an existing ICT project which was funded by AusAID through the Incentive Fund initiative of the Australian Government to the Hohola Youth Development Centre.
The Hohola Youth Development Centre is an educational institution   established and managed by the Catholic Mission Agency through the De La Salle Brothers in partnership with the Department of Education and the Australian government with the goal of alleviating the high level of illiteracy of all nature among youths being unable to attain formal education or unable to continue to high schools and secondary schools.
Hohola Development Centre is as long-term partner of PNG Tribal Foundation. The school provides academic and vocational training for 600 students who come from challenging situations and often live in settlements. Because of HYDC’s successful internship program, 99% of graduates have jobs by the time they receive their diplomas.
Every year the school turns down 250 applicants due to lack of space and resources. Many of the HYDC’s students go without meals in order to pay their bus fares to and from the school. The breakfast club at Hohola provides breakfast three mornings a week for students who sometimes have difficulties concentrating on studies due to hunger pains. Generally 300 students eat at the Breakfast Club three days a week.

Significance of the Project and Identification of the Stakeholders.
The significance of the Project is to empower an educated and knowledgeable population to face the challenges of an increasingly globalized world through the use of Information and Communication Technology. ICT can play a pivotal role at the various layers of education in PNG.
The purpose of the AusAID Incentive Fund is to introduce ICT in learning and education and to promote ICT as an important tool to achieve advanced education targets.
The Project donation by the AusAID was to set up a  a wireless broadband and local area network in the centre so that staff and students can teach and learn, enhancing their knowledge of  ICT such as the internet, basic computer hardware and software operations and the different types of networks (LAN/WAN) and their operations.
In 2012, the AusAID donated some ICT infrastructures to the school to fulfil that initiative. The donation includes 44 laptops, 44 docking stations, 2 desktops, 47 power supplies, 5 laptop bags, 5 mouse and two servers with routers and infrastructure  grant to build new classrooms (AusAID Donates to Schools, The National, Thursday – 9^th August, 2012; pg.5).
The AusAID (Australian Agency for International Development) was the Australian Government Agency responsible for managing their aid programs overseas until 31^st October 2013, when it ceased to be an incentive of the Aid and was integrated into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The objective of the Aid is to assist developing countries like Papua New Guinea to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development, in line with Australia’s national interests. AusAID is now providing advice and support to the Minister for Foreign Affairs for planned and co-ordinated poverty reduction activities in partnership with developing countries.   
 
Relevance of the Project to the Government Development Strategies (Vision 2050)
The project’s relevance to the government development strategies (vision 2050) is stated in the “Human capital Development, Gender Youth and People Empowerment (PNG Vision 2050, p.5) which seeks to promote collaborations and partnerships with private education providers, community organisations, church groups, other government organisations and private entities such as mining companies so that experiences and ideas can be shared towards fulfilling the PNG’s Vision 2050 in educating and empowering a knowledgeable population of Papua New Guinea.
The quality of education to all citizens of PNG is important and the use of ICT in education can achieve the educational goals of the PNG Vision 2050 through high speed learning.
 Problems Associated with the Project.

• Lack of strategic planning which leads to shortages of resources such as classrooms.
•  Poor literacy level of students. Many students enrolled are computer illiterates thus slowing down the level of learning. This is because they have not used or learn computer skills earlier in their lives as in primary schools.
• Over enrolment of students. Over 400 students are enrolled in the center with less resource such as computer laboratories and classrooms. Many students weren’t able to access computers because of the overcrowding of classrooms.
•  Lack of ICT experts. Teachers are not consistently re-trained to keep up with the updated ICT standard worldwide. Teachers lack competency in the use ICT infrastructures and how to manage those infrastructures.
• Misuse of resources by staff. Centre Staff handling and taking the laptops to their houses for personal use.
•   Vandalism and theft.39 laptops donated by AusAID were stolen from the laboratory after thieves managed to hold up the guards and breaking into the lab (The National, Sept 2013,pg; 3.)

Recommendations

Given the problems and issues associated with the project, we have come up with recommendations and suggestions to each of the issues faced to achieve a high standard learning environment in the center.

• There must be better strategies of the allocation and distribution of funds received from donations so that resources are readily made available to cater for the growing school population. Stakeholders and managing Agencies must be transparent in managing funds from donations to cater for the needs of improvement to students learning facilities.
•   Students must be categorized into different grades or levels of learning so they are consistent in what they learn.
•   Managing agencies must be consistent in their enrolment annually making sure that the amount of students they enrol can have full access to these learning infrastructures.
•   The staff must be annually re-trained to keep up with the advancement in the ICT world.
•  Monthly or yearly evaluation of the projects should be in existence to maintain and coup with the ever-changing information and communication technology.
• There must be strict monitoring over the use of these ICT facilities by the staffs.
• Engagement of well-trained security personals to guard the premises to protect from theft and vandalism. Apart from that, fence should be built around the premises.

Summary

The effectiveness of ICT is a tool for the enhancement of learning and education through partnership programs in the light of PNG’s Vision 2050. The work of the stakeholders needs to be recognised by the government for support.Given the relevant legislative and policy support and through partnerships, ICT services and applications can provide quality education to the majority of the growing population.By using ICT based services and applications, the quality of learning can be greatly enhanced where both teachers and students can benefit from ICT without wasting time, money and effort on out-dated resources.