Reaching out for the needy

Today there are several computer educational institution that promise scholarships to the students- no doubt, with the intention of helping even the needy (i.e family income below Rs.1200/- per month) to get access to the latest technology. However, do these scholarships really reach the needy? Are all the promises kept up? One can safely say a no. While the companies offering scholarships might also have noble intentions, most of it is announced for the mileage that can be obtained and the commercial benefits that will accrue- and don't necessarily have to cater to the needy.
An evaluation of the recently announced scholarships is a case in point. Most scholarships offered are fee waives and not 100 percent scholarship. No doubt, any fee waiver would be welcome to the needy, since the cost of education is high, but by same token a percentage of the fees will not necessarily bring it within the reach of the students.
In this again, what stands out is the fact that these scholarships are not aimed at the economically weaker sections of the people. These scholarships are targeted more at the middle class and the higher echelons of society, who can probably anyway avail of this education. One can even go as far as to say that the needy are not considered in this race to be on the top and be better equipped to face the technologically advanced tomorrow. But, can this situation last long? Will not our complacency prove fatal when the so called weaker sections revolt to take what is rightfully their?
And, will such a narrow perspective be beneficial to the society as a whole? Times are changing, everything is becoming computerized. So, if a certain section of the society is not up t date, possessing at least the basic knowledge of computers, then the process of computerizing operations will be defeated since it will be of no use to the vast majority of the people.
To stem this trend, the computer institutes will have to take initiatives. They can conduct seminars and workshops to help them learn the basics in computers. Till now, they managed to effectively bridge the gap between prescribed education and the needs of the modern technological world. Now they need to step out of this restricting role to include mass education, for the sake of educating rather than commercial benefits. They should start offering scholarships based on the family income to the meritorious and the needy. This would at least to some extent help the needy who are very much interested in learning more about computers.
And, this responsibility of taking computers to the needy is not limited to the private institutes alone. The Government also has its duty to these sections of the society. Changes in legislation should take place in order to provide the economically weaker sections with an opportunity to gain computer knowledge. Allocating certain percentage of seats to the economically weaker sections can be one method.
Though there are a handful of computer centers, which offer free courses for the economically weaker sections. Other larger institutions should also come forward to give priority to the backward sections of the society.
If he computer institutes don't spruce up and reserve certain percentage of seats to the economically weaker sections then they will be forced to do so by legislative changes. Already Tamil Manila Congress is planning to propose a legislative change to allocate certain percentage for the economically and socially backward people in computer education in Tamilnadu.
It would be better if the institutes take head before they are forced into doing the needful under pressure.
The author is President, ICM and
Chairman of Science and technology, TMC.