Story: Fauziatu Adam
The Chief Psychiatrist of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Akwesi Osei, has made another strong appeal for the passage of the Mental Health Bill (MHB) by the first quarter of next year to help ease the suffering of mental patients in the country.
He said some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and sympathisers of psychiatric hospitals in the country had threatened to demonstrate if the bill was not passed at the given time.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic at the annual end-of-year celebration, Dr Osei said the MHB had been in existence for over four years but it had been sidelined by governments.
He indicated that most mental health institutions in the country, especially the Accra Psychiatric Hospital would collapse if the bill was not passed and implemented soon.
He explained that the bill entailed the decentralisation of the mental hospitals and a system where there would be more mental clinics across the country and easy access to mental treatment across the country.
“Mental treatment would also be moved from hospital care to community care for patients to feel a part of the community than to be caged in hospitals”, he added.
He mentioned that currently, the Accra Psychiatric Hospital had about 1,200 patients, about 600 of which were fit to go home, but half of that number had been abandoned by their relatives for more than 30 years.
Dr Osei said the psychiatric hospital lacked resources in terms of human, financial, drugs, among others, making it difficult for the hospital to attend to patients promptly.
He added that for close to seven years, the hospital had been owing its food, drugs, uniforms and suppliers of other resources due to lack of funds.
He said if the bill was passed and implemented, it would reduce, if not remove entirely, the challenges facing psychiatric hospitals in the country.
He observed that there was still stigmatisation and lack of understanding of mental illnesses in the country which made the treatment of mental cases very difficult.
He, therefore, appealed to the general public to do away with their perception of mental illness and urge authorities to pass the bill soon.
The celebration was also meant to relieve staff of their hectic duties after attending to mental patients under very demanding conditions, fete mental patients and award 30 retirees of the hospital who had served tirelessly and retired honourably over the years. They were given 21-inch coloured televisions.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
NSS Maize To Feed Ashanti Schools
FRONT PAGE STORY (DAILY GRAPHIC)
Story: Fauziatu Adam
The National Service Secretariat (NSS) is to sell 4,000 bags of maize at reasonable prices from its farms at Ejura in the Ashanti Region to government-assisted Senior High Schools in the region.
The move is to assist the schools to feed their students at relatively low cost during the second term which begins in January 2011.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Executive Director of the NSS, Mr Vincent Kuagbenu, said the secretariat had received a request from the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary schools (CHASS) to assist the heads to feed the students, adding that he saw that as a major boost and at the same time a big challenge to the farming component of the service scheme.
He explained that CHASS had also supported the secretariat by transporting service persons to and from the farm free of charge, hence the quick response to the request by the conference.
“Since this is in line with the government’s policy to farm to feed students, we have seriously considered the request,” he added.
Mr Kuagbenu said currently the secretariat had harvested more than 4,000 bags of maize on its farm at Ejura, while 5,000 acres of land cultivated with maize was yet to be harvested to provide additional food supplies.
About 3,000 service persons have been recruited to work on the farms periodically.
Mr Kuagbenu expressed the hope that the secretariat would expand to the Eastern, Central and Brong Ahafo regions in the next farming season.
Story: Fauziatu Adam
The National Service Secretariat (NSS) is to sell 4,000 bags of maize at reasonable prices from its farms at Ejura in the Ashanti Region to government-assisted Senior High Schools in the region.
The move is to assist the schools to feed their students at relatively low cost during the second term which begins in January 2011.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Executive Director of the NSS, Mr Vincent Kuagbenu, said the secretariat had received a request from the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary schools (CHASS) to assist the heads to feed the students, adding that he saw that as a major boost and at the same time a big challenge to the farming component of the service scheme.
He explained that CHASS had also supported the secretariat by transporting service persons to and from the farm free of charge, hence the quick response to the request by the conference.
“Since this is in line with the government’s policy to farm to feed students, we have seriously considered the request,” he added.
Mr Kuagbenu said currently the secretariat had harvested more than 4,000 bags of maize on its farm at Ejura, while 5,000 acres of land cultivated with maize was yet to be harvested to provide additional food supplies.
About 3,000 service persons have been recruited to work on the farms periodically.
Mr Kuagbenu expressed the hope that the secretariat would expand to the Eastern, Central and Brong Ahafo regions in the next farming season.
Muslims advised to educate their children
Story: Fauziatu Adam
The Spiritual Leader of the Tijaniyya Muslim Movement in Ghana, Sheikh Halifa Abdul Faidi, has called on parents in the Muslim communities to invest in the education of their children since education was the key to the socio-economic development of the country.
Sheikh Faidi made this call at the launch of the birthday of Sheikh Ahmed Tijani in Accra.
He said that education was a fundamental human right which provided both the young and old the power to reflect on their lives and make better choices for their own development.
He stressed the need to invest more in education and promote the development of the country.
Sheikh Faidi further advised the youth to respect their community leaders, especially the Sheikhs.
He said the birthday celebration was scheduled to take place from January 13 to 16, 2011. Other activities of the celebrations include honouring prominent personalities in the country, journalists, media houses and institutions that had excelled in their endeavours.
The Spiritual Leader of the Tijaniyya Muslim Movement in Ghana, Sheikh Halifa Abdul Faidi, has called on parents in the Muslim communities to invest in the education of their children since education was the key to the socio-economic development of the country.
Sheikh Faidi made this call at the launch of the birthday of Sheikh Ahmed Tijani in Accra.
He said that education was a fundamental human right which provided both the young and old the power to reflect on their lives and make better choices for their own development.
He stressed the need to invest more in education and promote the development of the country.
Sheikh Faidi further advised the youth to respect their community leaders, especially the Sheikhs.
He said the birthday celebration was scheduled to take place from January 13 to 16, 2011. Other activities of the celebrations include honouring prominent personalities in the country, journalists, media houses and institutions that had excelled in their endeavours.
Engen Ghana introduces two fuels
Story: Fauziatu Adam
THE Engen Ghana Limited has unveiled two new different fuels in the market called the Dynamic Diesel for diesel cars and the Dynamic Unleaded for petrol cars.
The dynamic fuels improve fuel consumption system with the potential to reduce fuel consumption and ultimately increase the lifespan of the vehicles and reduce exhaust emissions.
The Managing Director of Engen Ghana Limited, Mr Henry Akwaboah, made this known at the commissioning of a new filling station at Asamankese in the Eastern Region.
Mr Akwaboah said the company’s quest was to offer its customers value for their money and meet their challenging needs.
“We pride ourselves with service dynamism, service quality, value for money, good customer service and above all, the highest standards in health, safety and high quality product,” he added.
He assured the people of Asamankese of their value for money, cleaner fuel and above all environmentally friendly products.
Mr Akwaboah advised the workers of the station to be proactive in all their services and to give their customers value for their money.
The District Chief Executive of Asamankese, Mr Seth Okyere, on behalf of the people of the area, expressed appreciation for the company for making the project a reality.
He cautioned filling station personnel not to favour commercial vehicles against private vehicles as that practice had the tendency to collapse the business.
He further advised the workers to desist from defrauding customers by short-changing them.
Mr Okyere also caution drivers to drive carefully to reduce road fatalities.
The filling station is equipped with modern filling pumps, a shopping centre, 15 guest rooms and a mini bar to entertain visitors who come on visit.
THE Engen Ghana Limited has unveiled two new different fuels in the market called the Dynamic Diesel for diesel cars and the Dynamic Unleaded for petrol cars.
The dynamic fuels improve fuel consumption system with the potential to reduce fuel consumption and ultimately increase the lifespan of the vehicles and reduce exhaust emissions.
The Managing Director of Engen Ghana Limited, Mr Henry Akwaboah, made this known at the commissioning of a new filling station at Asamankese in the Eastern Region.
Mr Akwaboah said the company’s quest was to offer its customers value for their money and meet their challenging needs.
“We pride ourselves with service dynamism, service quality, value for money, good customer service and above all, the highest standards in health, safety and high quality product,” he added.
He assured the people of Asamankese of their value for money, cleaner fuel and above all environmentally friendly products.
Mr Akwaboah advised the workers of the station to be proactive in all their services and to give their customers value for their money.
The District Chief Executive of Asamankese, Mr Seth Okyere, on behalf of the people of the area, expressed appreciation for the company for making the project a reality.
He cautioned filling station personnel not to favour commercial vehicles against private vehicles as that practice had the tendency to collapse the business.
He further advised the workers to desist from defrauding customers by short-changing them.
Mr Okyere also caution drivers to drive carefully to reduce road fatalities.
The filling station is equipped with modern filling pumps, a shopping centre, 15 guest rooms and a mini bar to entertain visitors who come on visit.
Atlas Copco workers educated on HIV/AIDS
Story: Fauziatu Adam
The Managing Director of Atlas Copco Ghana, Mr George Apostopoulos, has called for collective measures to fight the menace of HIV/AIDS in the country.
He added that HIV/AIDS is very high in Africa and it needed a strong and united people to be able to reduce the menace in Ghana and Africa as a whole.
Mr Apostopoulos said this at the launch of a workplace HIV/AIDS policy with the aim of promoting the health needs of the staff the company.
He added that HIV/AIDS was a sensitive issue in the world and, therefore “ very necessary as a company to initiate this move.
“ We are very committed to making sure that our workers live and work in a healthy environment to make productivity effective” he added.
He explained that the aim of this policy was to limit the spread of HIV/AIDs amongst workers and support employees that are infected thereby creating a conducive environment for them.
The Director of Ghana Business Coalition (GBC) Against HIV/AIDS, urged other businesses especially medium and small enterprises to approach the coalition for technical assistance to make their workplace safe and healthy for their workers adding that “ only 40 companies have responded to their call since 2003”.
An Executive Council member of GBC Against HIV/AIDS, Mr Alex Bamfo, said the coalition has initiated steps to broaden its scope to include malaria in its promotion programme because of the alarming rate of the disease in the country.
“ Twenty-two percent of death in the country currentlyis as result of malaria which also leads to bigger loss of productivity in the country,” he stressed.
The Managing Director of Atlas Copco Ghana, Mr George Apostopoulos, has called for collective measures to fight the menace of HIV/AIDS in the country.
He added that HIV/AIDS is very high in Africa and it needed a strong and united people to be able to reduce the menace in Ghana and Africa as a whole.
Mr Apostopoulos said this at the launch of a workplace HIV/AIDS policy with the aim of promoting the health needs of the staff the company.
He added that HIV/AIDS was a sensitive issue in the world and, therefore “ very necessary as a company to initiate this move.
“ We are very committed to making sure that our workers live and work in a healthy environment to make productivity effective” he added.
He explained that the aim of this policy was to limit the spread of HIV/AIDs amongst workers and support employees that are infected thereby creating a conducive environment for them.
The Director of Ghana Business Coalition (GBC) Against HIV/AIDS, urged other businesses especially medium and small enterprises to approach the coalition for technical assistance to make their workplace safe and healthy for their workers adding that “ only 40 companies have responded to their call since 2003”.
An Executive Council member of GBC Against HIV/AIDS, Mr Alex Bamfo, said the coalition has initiated steps to broaden its scope to include malaria in its promotion programme because of the alarming rate of the disease in the country.
“ Twenty-two percent of death in the country currentlyis as result of malaria which also leads to bigger loss of productivity in the country,” he stressed.
ABANTU launches 10th anniversary
Story: Fauziatu Adam
ABANTU for Development has launched its 10th anniversary with the aim of institutionalising its mentoring programme for the youth.
The programme is to empower the youth, especially women, to get involved in political and leadership programmes and to introduce an exchange programme for the youth.
The director of ABANTU, Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, said that the major concern of the organisation was to achieve gender equality in the country. She said the organisation aimed at prioritising issues related to women’s empowerment through participation in decision making at all levels as a means to promoting women’s right and gender equality in the country.
Dr Mensah-Kutin said ABANTU was a non partisan organisation that trained women for leadership positions, and expressed her appreciation to the media for their consistent commitment to promoting those objectives.
A gender activist, Mrs Rosaline Obeng-Ofori, called on the organisation to initiate Affirmative Action Policy and other policies to encourage women’s participation in politics and the assumption of leadership roles to enable them to make meaningful contributions to the decision-making process.
Other activities lined up for the celebration include the publication of a booklet on the contributions, challenges and prospects of the organisation, a video on Abantu, a photo slide show, an awards ceremony and a seminar to climax the celebration.
ABANTU for Development has launched its 10th anniversary with the aim of institutionalising its mentoring programme for the youth.
The programme is to empower the youth, especially women, to get involved in political and leadership programmes and to introduce an exchange programme for the youth.
The director of ABANTU, Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, said that the major concern of the organisation was to achieve gender equality in the country. She said the organisation aimed at prioritising issues related to women’s empowerment through participation in decision making at all levels as a means to promoting women’s right and gender equality in the country.
Dr Mensah-Kutin said ABANTU was a non partisan organisation that trained women for leadership positions, and expressed her appreciation to the media for their consistent commitment to promoting those objectives.
A gender activist, Mrs Rosaline Obeng-Ofori, called on the organisation to initiate Affirmative Action Policy and other policies to encourage women’s participation in politics and the assumption of leadership roles to enable them to make meaningful contributions to the decision-making process.
Other activities lined up for the celebration include the publication of a booklet on the contributions, challenges and prospects of the organisation, a video on Abantu, a photo slide show, an awards ceremony and a seminar to climax the celebration.
Support women to vie for political positions - WABA
THE President of the Women’s Assistance and Business Association (WABA), a non governmental organisation, Mrs Gloria Ofori-Boadu has stressed the need for governmental and non-governmental organisations to strongly support, and advocate for measures to improve women’s participation in governance.
She said since women constituted more than 50 per cent of Ghana’s population, it was necessary to encourage more women to vie for political positions in the country, especially at the district assembly level, where the assemblies have the mandate to initiate projects and programmes for the development of the district.
Mrs Ofori-Boadu said the 1992 Constitution provided for the major functions of the assembly and that included the formulation and execution of plans, programmes and strategies for the effective mobilisation of the resources necessary for the overall development of the district, such as levying and collection of taxes, rates, duties and fees.
Addressing a workshop organised by the Institute of Democracy and Human rights Education of WABA, she said it was a fact that the major reliable and highest source of revenue for internally generated funds of the assemblies were the markets which was an area dominated by women.
She said, for this reason, women played a critical role in executing the functions of the district assemblies, which was to mobilise resources for the overall development of the districts, since the market was dominated by women, who had been socialised to work there as part of their daily chores.
Mrs Ofori-Boadu said it then made sense that Ghana needed to take extra and specific steps to involve women in the district assemblies, since they constituted over 80 per cent of people operating in the informal sector of the economy, which was a major source of income generation in the country.
She said “we are therefore calling for new constitutional provisions that will provide specifically for the nomination, election and appointment of 50 per cent men and 50 per cent women to all nominated, appointed and elected positions to the metropolitan, municipal, district assemblies and their sub-structure, that is the Unit Committees.”
The workshop was aimed at building the capacity of aspiring members of district assemblies through mentoring by other women who had been to the assemblies. It further sought to strongly advocate for specific constitutional provisions to increase women’s participation in political activities in the country.
She said since women constituted more than 50 per cent of Ghana’s population, it was necessary to encourage more women to vie for political positions in the country, especially at the district assembly level, where the assemblies have the mandate to initiate projects and programmes for the development of the district.
Mrs Ofori-Boadu said the 1992 Constitution provided for the major functions of the assembly and that included the formulation and execution of plans, programmes and strategies for the effective mobilisation of the resources necessary for the overall development of the district, such as levying and collection of taxes, rates, duties and fees.
Addressing a workshop organised by the Institute of Democracy and Human rights Education of WABA, she said it was a fact that the major reliable and highest source of revenue for internally generated funds of the assemblies were the markets which was an area dominated by women.
She said, for this reason, women played a critical role in executing the functions of the district assemblies, which was to mobilise resources for the overall development of the districts, since the market was dominated by women, who had been socialised to work there as part of their daily chores.
Mrs Ofori-Boadu said it then made sense that Ghana needed to take extra and specific steps to involve women in the district assemblies, since they constituted over 80 per cent of people operating in the informal sector of the economy, which was a major source of income generation in the country.
She said “we are therefore calling for new constitutional provisions that will provide specifically for the nomination, election and appointment of 50 per cent men and 50 per cent women to all nominated, appointed and elected positions to the metropolitan, municipal, district assemblies and their sub-structure, that is the Unit Committees.”
The workshop was aimed at building the capacity of aspiring members of district assemblies through mentoring by other women who had been to the assemblies. It further sought to strongly advocate for specific constitutional provisions to increase women’s participation in political activities in the country.
Bridge the communication gap through education
By Fauziatu Adam
In today’s world of astonishing advancement in Information Communication Technology (ICT), many countries have put in measures to ensure that they take advantage of the opportunity ICT brings for the benefit of their citizens.
In the United States for instance, an astounding 76 per cent of the population have access to the Internet. In Japan, 86 per cent of the population have access to the Internet.
In Ghana however, only a few people have access to the Internet.Ghana still has a long way to go with regards to becoming an information society.
For Ghana to move rapidly towards being an information society,it should have a society characterised by a high level of information intensity in the everyday life of most citizens in most organisations and work places. They must use common or compatible technology for a wide range of personal, social, educational, and business activities, and have the ability to transmit, receive and exchange digital data rapidly between places irrespective of distance. There is therefore,the need to critically examine the following factors.
With an illiteracy rate of 31 per cent, according to the Ghana Statistical service, there are numerous Ghanaians who are not educated and it is imperative that the government makes the effort to change that situation.
The basic problems facing the development of Education in Ghana are poverty and inadequate educational facilities and equipment.
Poverty
Due to socio-economic difficulties, many parents cannot afford to send their children to school. Though the government’s Free Compulsory Basic Education (FCBE) makes education in public basic schools free, parents are still obliged to buy school uniforms, books and other educational materials for their children. Many parents cannot afford to do even this; so we have many children hawking in the streets or learning trades instead of acquiring education.
Inadequate Educational Facilities and Infrastructure
There are places in Ghana where people do not have access to schools. In places where there are schools, there is the everlasting problem of inadequate infrastructure.
It is common therefore, to find students learning under trees and canopies and in open space exposed to rain and sunshine.
Many of our schools lack other basic imperatives for quality education such as competent and motivated teachers and educational facilities such as textbooks and computers.
As a result of all these, many students end up lacking quality education.
Needless to say, one needs to have some form of education to be able to critically and coherently analyse information.
An educated person possesses the intelligence to make rational inferences and deductions from the information they acquire.
The US, Japan, England and other countries have attained the status of an information society status because the majority of their citizens are educated.
If education is not prioritised in Ghana, the country will continue to move towards becoming an information society but at a slow pace.
Solutions
The government therefore, should take proactive measures to build schools in deprived areas of the country.
In places where there are schools, the government should ensure that those schools are provided with adequate educational facilities and equipment. Situations where students learn under trees and canopies are unacceptable because such an environment is not conducive for effective teaching and learning.
The government should find ways of motivating teachers to encourage them to offer their best. Those teaching in deprived areas should be given special incentives to encourage them. This will prevent a situation where teachers refuse postings to deprived areas.
Though the government deserves commendation for making education free and compulsory, a lot still has to be done.
Many parents prefer sending their children to the streets to sell instead of sending them to school to acquire education. The government should therefore, go the extra mile by prosecuting parents who refuse to send their children to school.
Finally, the government should provide I.C.T equipment for our schools so that by the time children grow up, they would know certain basic things about the computer and information communication technology.
In today’s world of astonishing advancement in Information Communication Technology (ICT), many countries have put in measures to ensure that they take advantage of the opportunity ICT brings for the benefit of their citizens.
In the United States for instance, an astounding 76 per cent of the population have access to the Internet. In Japan, 86 per cent of the population have access to the Internet.
In Ghana however, only a few people have access to the Internet.Ghana still has a long way to go with regards to becoming an information society.
For Ghana to move rapidly towards being an information society,it should have a society characterised by a high level of information intensity in the everyday life of most citizens in most organisations and work places. They must use common or compatible technology for a wide range of personal, social, educational, and business activities, and have the ability to transmit, receive and exchange digital data rapidly between places irrespective of distance. There is therefore,the need to critically examine the following factors.
With an illiteracy rate of 31 per cent, according to the Ghana Statistical service, there are numerous Ghanaians who are not educated and it is imperative that the government makes the effort to change that situation.
The basic problems facing the development of Education in Ghana are poverty and inadequate educational facilities and equipment.
Poverty
Due to socio-economic difficulties, many parents cannot afford to send their children to school. Though the government’s Free Compulsory Basic Education (FCBE) makes education in public basic schools free, parents are still obliged to buy school uniforms, books and other educational materials for their children. Many parents cannot afford to do even this; so we have many children hawking in the streets or learning trades instead of acquiring education.
Inadequate Educational Facilities and Infrastructure
There are places in Ghana where people do not have access to schools. In places where there are schools, there is the everlasting problem of inadequate infrastructure.
It is common therefore, to find students learning under trees and canopies and in open space exposed to rain and sunshine.
Many of our schools lack other basic imperatives for quality education such as competent and motivated teachers and educational facilities such as textbooks and computers.
As a result of all these, many students end up lacking quality education.
Needless to say, one needs to have some form of education to be able to critically and coherently analyse information.
An educated person possesses the intelligence to make rational inferences and deductions from the information they acquire.
The US, Japan, England and other countries have attained the status of an information society status because the majority of their citizens are educated.
If education is not prioritised in Ghana, the country will continue to move towards becoming an information society but at a slow pace.
Solutions
The government therefore, should take proactive measures to build schools in deprived areas of the country.
In places where there are schools, the government should ensure that those schools are provided with adequate educational facilities and equipment. Situations where students learn under trees and canopies are unacceptable because such an environment is not conducive for effective teaching and learning.
The government should find ways of motivating teachers to encourage them to offer their best. Those teaching in deprived areas should be given special incentives to encourage them. This will prevent a situation where teachers refuse postings to deprived areas.
Though the government deserves commendation for making education free and compulsory, a lot still has to be done.
Many parents prefer sending their children to the streets to sell instead of sending them to school to acquire education. The government should therefore, go the extra mile by prosecuting parents who refuse to send their children to school.
Finally, the government should provide I.C.T equipment for our schools so that by the time children grow up, they would know certain basic things about the computer and information communication technology.
GTUC, Conventry University to collaborate -To introduce post graduate programmes
Story: Fauziatu Adam
The Ghana Telecom University College (GTUC) is to introduce 14 new post-graduate programmes under a joint programme with Conventry University of the United Kingdom next academic year.
The programmes include Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Information studies, MBA Logistics, MBA Finance, MBA Oil and Gas Management.
Others include Master of Science (MSc) in Forensic Computing, Network Computing, Software Development, Microelectronics and Wireless Systems, Engineering Project Management and Msc Logistics.
The rest are Msc Information Technology for Management, Business Decision Management, Management Information Systems and Oil and Gas Management.
Students pursuing any of these programmes would be awarded with a Conventry University degree.
The President of the university, Dr Osei Darkwa, announced this at the first congregation ceremony of the university in Accra.
He added that the university had earlier this year introduced two new doctoral programmes (PhD) in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Technology Engineering to enhance the range of programmes offered in the institute.
This, he said, was a collaborative venture between the university and Aalborg University in Denmark.
“Consistent with global trends in higher education, we are expanding the use of technology to create a “ Virtual GTUC’ network of faculty, students, alumni and friends to encourage life-long relationships among the growing GTUC community” he said.
He mentioned that the university’s core research activities address issues in areas such as Internet fraud, youth capacity building through ICT, mobile health, virtual labs, virtual education, as well as virtual institution building.
He expressed his appreciation to the pioneering students and their parents for their support.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tetey Enyo, assured that the government would make significant budgetary allocation to education at all levels, especially the tertiary level.
“Polytechnics, universities and other tertiary institutions would be adequately resourced to play more meaningful roles in the growth and development of the country, especially now that Ghana joins the elite group of oil producing countries” he added.
He added that the government would pay particular attention to the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning and enhance the capacity of teachers through constant programmes to upgrade themselves.
In all, 172 students graduated from the university. Anthony Ntem and Audrey Nadia Nwayombeth Dossah were honoured with the Best Bachelor of Science Degree in Telecom, while Isaac Otoo-Siaw and Alida Simpore emerged as the best students in Bachelor of Science and Information Technology respectively.
In a related development, the Ghana Telecom University College (GTUC) has introduced an Internet laboratory (Ilab) training programme to enable institutions share physical laboratories via the Internet.
The project has the potential of opening doors for collaborative research with other institutions to promote a shift from theoretical learning to practical learning.
It is also cost effective and reliable for institutions to share laboratories and laboratory equipment via the Internet.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tetey-Enyo, said the new technology, which was a collaborative effort between the GTUC and the ministry, was aimed at stimulating the production and application of new ideas that would form the basis of economic development.
He added the ministry among its objectives, aims at providing relevant education to Ghanaians at all levels to enable them acquire skills that would assist them in developing their potential in support of the national poverty reduction programmes and promote socio-economic growth.
He expressed the ministry’s commitment to support the development of the Ilab at the GTUC and other tertiary institutions by providing facilities and resources for the effective training of students.
The opening session of the programme brought together different students from tertiary institutions in the country, including Accra Polytechnic, Regent University, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Koforidua Polytechnic, Ho Polytechnic and the Ghana Telecom University College.
The Ghana Telecom University College (GTUC) is to introduce 14 new post-graduate programmes under a joint programme with Conventry University of the United Kingdom next academic year.
The programmes include Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Information studies, MBA Logistics, MBA Finance, MBA Oil and Gas Management.
Others include Master of Science (MSc) in Forensic Computing, Network Computing, Software Development, Microelectronics and Wireless Systems, Engineering Project Management and Msc Logistics.
The rest are Msc Information Technology for Management, Business Decision Management, Management Information Systems and Oil and Gas Management.
Students pursuing any of these programmes would be awarded with a Conventry University degree.
The President of the university, Dr Osei Darkwa, announced this at the first congregation ceremony of the university in Accra.
He added that the university had earlier this year introduced two new doctoral programmes (PhD) in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Technology Engineering to enhance the range of programmes offered in the institute.
This, he said, was a collaborative venture between the university and Aalborg University in Denmark.
“Consistent with global trends in higher education, we are expanding the use of technology to create a “ Virtual GTUC’ network of faculty, students, alumni and friends to encourage life-long relationships among the growing GTUC community” he said.
He mentioned that the university’s core research activities address issues in areas such as Internet fraud, youth capacity building through ICT, mobile health, virtual labs, virtual education, as well as virtual institution building.
He expressed his appreciation to the pioneering students and their parents for their support.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tetey Enyo, assured that the government would make significant budgetary allocation to education at all levels, especially the tertiary level.
“Polytechnics, universities and other tertiary institutions would be adequately resourced to play more meaningful roles in the growth and development of the country, especially now that Ghana joins the elite group of oil producing countries” he added.
He added that the government would pay particular attention to the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning and enhance the capacity of teachers through constant programmes to upgrade themselves.
In all, 172 students graduated from the university. Anthony Ntem and Audrey Nadia Nwayombeth Dossah were honoured with the Best Bachelor of Science Degree in Telecom, while Isaac Otoo-Siaw and Alida Simpore emerged as the best students in Bachelor of Science and Information Technology respectively.
In a related development, the Ghana Telecom University College (GTUC) has introduced an Internet laboratory (Ilab) training programme to enable institutions share physical laboratories via the Internet.
The project has the potential of opening doors for collaborative research with other institutions to promote a shift from theoretical learning to practical learning.
It is also cost effective and reliable for institutions to share laboratories and laboratory equipment via the Internet.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tetey-Enyo, said the new technology, which was a collaborative effort between the GTUC and the ministry, was aimed at stimulating the production and application of new ideas that would form the basis of economic development.
He added the ministry among its objectives, aims at providing relevant education to Ghanaians at all levels to enable them acquire skills that would assist them in developing their potential in support of the national poverty reduction programmes and promote socio-economic growth.
He expressed the ministry’s commitment to support the development of the Ilab at the GTUC and other tertiary institutions by providing facilities and resources for the effective training of students.
The opening session of the programme brought together different students from tertiary institutions in the country, including Accra Polytechnic, Regent University, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Koforidua Polytechnic, Ho Polytechnic and the Ghana Telecom University College.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Kofi Amoah adivises
I went for an assignment today at the launch of Global Access Savings and Loans owned by Mr Kofi Amoah, owner of Citizen Kofi. I was picked up with my photographer to the launch at his new hotel at kokrobite. We got there a little late but the sea breeze was able to wash that away.
The hotel is situated by the beach and i believe by the time it is completed, it will will be rated as a five star hotel in the country.
Well I have never seen Mr Amoah personally. I only hear of his name. Soon the occasion started. The former Vice President of the Republic of Ghana Alhaji Aliyyu Mahama, graced the occasion with the beautiful actress Nadia Buari and Ghana man, David Dontoh. Speeches were read by Managing Directors and Board Chairmen of the company and soon the man himself Mr Amoako was called to deliver his speech.
I really did not really listen to what he was saying but i believed he was promoting his company by saying good things about it. All i remember i heard was he appealing to the government to invest more in the private sector which creates more employment for people in the country.
Later there were live performances from the highlife guru, Gedu Blay Ambullay and Beautiful sooth singer Irene Logan. Soon the programme was over and my thought were all flushed on talking with the big time entrepreneur, Mr Kofi Amoah. one question on my mind was to ask him how to be make money and be rich.
I approached him after lunch and said hi! Mr Amoah! i asked? Have ever read the book Rich Dad and the poor dad written by Robert T. Kiyosi before? he replied; yeah! Do you remember what Robert asked his rich dad? he asked what? he asked his rich dad "Teach me how to make money"! So I am asking you to teach me how to make money as my rich dad. Then he laughed!
"Well Making money and being rich is not difficult. It depends on on your attitude and the way you think!
I asked him how! And he replied! YOu have to task oriented. You should know what time your are doing this and that. Example: If I say i will be walking to Kumasi in five days. I should be able to get to Kumasi in five days. I have schedule my tasks to fit my time thereby accomplishing what I want to do.
You also have to Goal oriented. make sure you are able to achieve your goals at the desired time..... To be continued
The hotel is situated by the beach and i believe by the time it is completed, it will will be rated as a five star hotel in the country.
Well I have never seen Mr Amoah personally. I only hear of his name. Soon the occasion started. The former Vice President of the Republic of Ghana Alhaji Aliyyu Mahama, graced the occasion with the beautiful actress Nadia Buari and Ghana man, David Dontoh. Speeches were read by Managing Directors and Board Chairmen of the company and soon the man himself Mr Amoako was called to deliver his speech.
I really did not really listen to what he was saying but i believed he was promoting his company by saying good things about it. All i remember i heard was he appealing to the government to invest more in the private sector which creates more employment for people in the country.
Later there were live performances from the highlife guru, Gedu Blay Ambullay and Beautiful sooth singer Irene Logan. Soon the programme was over and my thought were all flushed on talking with the big time entrepreneur, Mr Kofi Amoah. one question on my mind was to ask him how to be make money and be rich.
I approached him after lunch and said hi! Mr Amoah! i asked? Have ever read the book Rich Dad and the poor dad written by Robert T. Kiyosi before? he replied; yeah! Do you remember what Robert asked his rich dad? he asked what? he asked his rich dad "Teach me how to make money"! So I am asking you to teach me how to make money as my rich dad. Then he laughed!
"Well Making money and being rich is not difficult. It depends on on your attitude and the way you think!
I asked him how! And he replied! YOu have to task oriented. You should know what time your are doing this and that. Example: If I say i will be walking to Kumasi in five days. I should be able to get to Kumasi in five days. I have schedule my tasks to fit my time thereby accomplishing what I want to do.
You also have to Goal oriented. make sure you are able to achieve your goals at the desired time..... To be continued
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Cutural Imperialism
What is Culture?
Clifford Geertz's definition of culture often used on communication studies that says ".. denotes an historically transmitted pattern of meaning embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expresses in symbolic forms bymeans of which men communicate, perpetuate and develope their knowledge about attitudes towards life.
What then is imperialism?
It is the process whereby powerful grups try to extend their power and increase their wealth by bringing the evermore of the world under their domination.
CULTURAL IMPERIALISM
Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, or artificially injecting the culture of one society into another. It is usually the case that the former belongs to a large, economically or militarily powerful nation and the latter belongs to a smaller, less important one. Cultural imperialism can take the form of an active, formal policy or a general attitude. A metaphor of colonialism is employed: the cultural products of the first world "invade" the third-world and "conquer" local culture.[1] In the stronger variants of the term, world domination (in a cultural sense) is the explicit goal of the nation-states or corporations that export the culture.[1] The term is usually used in a pejorative sense, usually in conjunction with a call to reject foreign influence.
Theory and debate
Cultural imperialism can refer to either the forced acculturation of a subject population, or to the voluntary embracing of a foreign culture by individuals who do so of their own free will. Since these are two very different referents, the validity of the term has been called into question. The term cultural imperialism is understood differently in particular discourses, e.g. as "media imperialism" or as "discourse of nationality" (Tomlinson, 1991)[4]
Cultural influence can be seen by the "receiving" culture as either a threat to or an enrichment of its cultural identity. It seems therefore useful to distinguish between cultural imperialism as an (active or passive) attitude of superiority, and the position of a culture or group that seeks to complement its own cultural production, considered partly deficient, with imported products or values.
The imported products or services can themselves represent, or be associated with, certain values (such as consumerism). According to one argument, the "receiving" culture does not necessarily perceive this link, but instead absorbs the foreign culture passively through the use of the foreign goods and services. Due to its somewhat concealed, but very potent nature, this hypothetical idea is described by some experts as "banal imperialism." Some believe that the newly globalized economy of the late 20th and early 21st century has facilitated this process through the use of new information technology. This kind of cultural imperialism is derived from what is called "soft power." The theory of electronic colonialism extends the issue to global cultural issues and the impact of major multi-media conglomerates, ranging from Time-Warner, Disney, News Corp, Sony, to Google and Microsoft with the focus on the hegemonic power of these mainly US-based communication giants.
Cultural colonialism.
Cultural colonialism refers to internal domination by one group and its culture or ideology over others. An example comes from the domination over the former Soviet Union by Russian language and culture. Dominant cultures make themselves the official culture; Schools, the media, and public interaction reflect this. Under Soviet rule ethnic minorities had very limited self–rule in republics and regions controlled by Moscow. The oneness of socialist internationalism was to unite all the republics and their peoples.
A common technique in cultural colonialism is to flood ethnic areas with members of the dominant ethnic group. Cultural colonialism can also refer to changing a societies core values to reflect the colonialist society.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_imperialism
Clifford Geertz's definition of culture often used on communication studies that says ".. denotes an historically transmitted pattern of meaning embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expresses in symbolic forms bymeans of which men communicate, perpetuate and develope their knowledge about attitudes towards life.
What then is imperialism?
It is the process whereby powerful grups try to extend their power and increase their wealth by bringing the evermore of the world under their domination.
CULTURAL IMPERIALISM
Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, or artificially injecting the culture of one society into another. It is usually the case that the former belongs to a large, economically or militarily powerful nation and the latter belongs to a smaller, less important one. Cultural imperialism can take the form of an active, formal policy or a general attitude. A metaphor of colonialism is employed: the cultural products of the first world "invade" the third-world and "conquer" local culture.[1] In the stronger variants of the term, world domination (in a cultural sense) is the explicit goal of the nation-states or corporations that export the culture.[1] The term is usually used in a pejorative sense, usually in conjunction with a call to reject foreign influence.
Theory and debate
Cultural imperialism can refer to either the forced acculturation of a subject population, or to the voluntary embracing of a foreign culture by individuals who do so of their own free will. Since these are two very different referents, the validity of the term has been called into question. The term cultural imperialism is understood differently in particular discourses, e.g. as "media imperialism" or as "discourse of nationality" (Tomlinson, 1991)[4]
Cultural influence can be seen by the "receiving" culture as either a threat to or an enrichment of its cultural identity. It seems therefore useful to distinguish between cultural imperialism as an (active or passive) attitude of superiority, and the position of a culture or group that seeks to complement its own cultural production, considered partly deficient, with imported products or values.
The imported products or services can themselves represent, or be associated with, certain values (such as consumerism). According to one argument, the "receiving" culture does not necessarily perceive this link, but instead absorbs the foreign culture passively through the use of the foreign goods and services. Due to its somewhat concealed, but very potent nature, this hypothetical idea is described by some experts as "banal imperialism." Some believe that the newly globalized economy of the late 20th and early 21st century has facilitated this process through the use of new information technology. This kind of cultural imperialism is derived from what is called "soft power." The theory of electronic colonialism extends the issue to global cultural issues and the impact of major multi-media conglomerates, ranging from Time-Warner, Disney, News Corp, Sony, to Google and Microsoft with the focus on the hegemonic power of these mainly US-based communication giants.
Cultural colonialism.
Cultural colonialism refers to internal domination by one group and its culture or ideology over others. An example comes from the domination over the former Soviet Union by Russian language and culture. Dominant cultures make themselves the official culture; Schools, the media, and public interaction reflect this. Under Soviet rule ethnic minorities had very limited self–rule in republics and regions controlled by Moscow. The oneness of socialist internationalism was to unite all the republics and their peoples.
A common technique in cultural colonialism is to flood ethnic areas with members of the dominant ethnic group. Cultural colonialism can also refer to changing a societies core values to reflect the colonialist society.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_imperialism
Thursday, October 22, 2009
What is persuasion?
google.com
Persuasion is a form of social influence. It is the process of guiding people and oneself toward the adoption of an idea, attitude, or action by rational and symbolic (though not always logical) means.
Step 1: Survey your situation
This step includes an analysis of the situation of the persuader, his goals and the challenges he faces in his organization.
Step 2: Confront the five barriers
There are five obstacles that pose the greatest risks to a successful influence encounter: relationships, credibility, communication mismatches, belief systems, interest and needs.
Step 3: Make your pitch
People need solid reason to justify a decision, yet at the same time many decisions are taken on the basis of intuition. This step also deals with presentation skills.
Step 4: Secure your commitments
In order to safeguard the longtime success it is vital to deal with politics at the individual and organizational level.
Persuasion is a form of social influence. It is the process of guiding people and oneself toward the adoption of an idea, attitude, or action by rational and symbolic (though not always logical) means.
Methods
Persuasion methods are also sometimes referred to as persuasion tactics or persuasion strategies.Weapons of influence
According to Robert Cialdini in his book on persuasion, he defined six "weapons of influence":[1]- Reciprocity - People tend to return a favor. Thus, the pervasiveness of free samples in marketing and advertising. In his conferences, he often uses the example of Ethiopia providing thousands of dollars in humanitarian aid to Mexico just after the 1985 earthquake, despite Ethiopia suffering from a crippling famine and civil war at the time. Ethiopia had been reciprocating for the diplomatic support Mexico provided when Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1937.
- Commitment and Consistency - Once people commit to what they think is right, orally or in writing, they are more likely to honor that commitment, even if the original incentive or motivation is subsequently removed. For example, in car sales, suddenly raising the price at the last moment works because the buyer has already decided to buy.
- Social Proof - People will do things that they see other people are doing. For example, in one experiment, one or more confederates would look up into the sky; bystanders would then look up into the sky to see what they were seeing. At one point this experiment aborted, as so many people were looking up that they stopped traffic. See conformity, and the Asch conformity experiments.
- Authority - People will tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to perform objectionable acts. Cialdini cites incidents, such as the Milgram experiments in the early 1960s and the My Lai massacre.
- Liking - People are easily persuaded by other people whom they like. Cialdini cites the marketing of Tupperware in what might now be called viral marketing. People were more likely to buy if they liked the person selling it to them. Some of the many biases favoring more attractive people are discussed, but generally more aesthetically pleasing people tend to use this influence excellently over others. See physical attractiveness stereotype.
- Scarcity - Perceived scarcity will generate demand. For example, saying offers are available for a "limited time only" encourages sales.
Relationship based persuasion
In their book "The Art of Woo" G. Richard Shell and Mario Moussa describe a four step approach to strategic persuasion[2]. They explain that persuasion means to win others over, not to defeat them. Thus it is very improtant to be able to see the topic from different angles in order to anticipate the reaction of others to a proposal.Step 1: Survey your situation
This step includes an analysis of the situation of the persuader, his goals and the challenges he faces in his organization.
Step 2: Confront the five barriers
There are five obstacles that pose the greatest risks to a successful influence encounter: relationships, credibility, communication mismatches, belief systems, interest and needs.
Step 3: Make your pitch
People need solid reason to justify a decision, yet at the same time many decisions are taken on the basis of intuition. This step also deals with presentation skills.
Step 4: Secure your commitments
In order to safeguard the longtime success it is vital to deal with politics at the individual and organizational level.
Propaganda
Propagandais also closely related to Persuasion. It's a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of large numbers of people. Instead of impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense presents information in order to influence its audience. The most effective propaganda is often completely truthful, but some propaganda presents facts selectively to encourage a particular synthesis, or gives loaded messages in order to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the cognitive narrative of the subject in the target audience. The term 'propaganda' first appeared in 1622 when Pope Gregory XV established the Sacred Congregation for Propagating the Faith. Propaganda was then as now about convincing large numbers of people about the veracity of a given set of ideas. Propaganda is as old as people, politics and religion.Thursday, October 15, 2009
Knowledge Society
Broadly speaking, the term Knowledge Society refers to any society where knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital and labour. It may also refer to the use a certain society gives to information. A Knowledge society "creates, shares and uses knowledge for the prosperity and well-being of its people".
Characteristics
Knowledge societies have the characteristic that knowledge forms a major component of any human activity. Economic, social, cultural, and all other human activities become dependent on a huge volume of knowledge and information. A knowledge society is one in which knowledge becomes a major creative force.
Knowledge societies are not a new occurrence. For example, fishermen have long shared the knowledge of predicting the weather to their community and this knowledge gets added to the social capital of the community.
What is new is that
With current technologies, knowledge societies need not be constrained by geographic proximity.
Current technology offers much more possibilities for sharing, archiving and retrieving knowledge.
Knowledge has become the most important capital in the present age, and hence the success of any society lies in harnessing it.
Examples of societies that can blossom to knowledge societiesPeople from the same field:
Teachers teaching the same subject.
Fans of the same musical group.
Artists with similar interests
People from different fields.
Engineers talking to scientists about a scientific issue related to their engineering project.
Researchers of different fields discussing a common research problem.
Artists interested in fractals getting in touch with programmers.
Mystics talking to scientists.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_society
Broadly speaking, the term Knowledge Society refers to any society where knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital and labour. It may also refer to the use a certain society gives to information. A Knowledge society "creates, shares and uses knowledge for the prosperity and well-being of its people".
Characteristics
Knowledge societies have the characteristic that knowledge forms a major component of any human activity. Economic, social, cultural, and all other human activities become dependent on a huge volume of knowledge and information. A knowledge society is one in which knowledge becomes a major creative force.
Knowledge societies are not a new occurrence. For example, fishermen have long shared the knowledge of predicting the weather to their community and this knowledge gets added to the social capital of the community.
What is new is that
- With current technologies, knowledge societies need not be constrained by geographic proximity
- Current technology offers much more possibilities for sharing, archiving and retrieving knowledge
- Knowledge has become the most important capital in the present age, and hence the success of any society lies in harnessing it.
Information which is very important in human life makes us aware of what happens in our environment and more importantly this information provides us with knowledge .
This knowledge in turn enables us relate meaningfully with other people which helps us make informed decisions and take advantage of opportunities that come our way.
However, it is very obvious that this information like material wealth is not distributed equally the society we find ourselves.
The reason being that the poor in the society or let me use the word "less privileged do not get access to information and knowledge whereas the rich of the "aristocrats" easily get access to information.
This we can classify them as the "haves" and have nots".
Monday, May 18, 2009
The similarities and differences between the LIBERTARIAN THEORY and the SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THEORY of the press.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LIBERTARIAN THEORY AND THE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THEORY.
The libertarian theory of the press was adopted in England and the United States after 1688 and is influential all over the world.The idea of this theory rose in opposition to the authoritarian theory especially amongst the seventeenth century philosophers like John Locke, John Milton, Saint Simone and others.They argued that people are rational beings capable of differentiating between good and evil and if given all the facts will make the right choice.The purpose for this theory was to inform, entertain, educate, as well as check on the government.This theory further on aimed at promoting private ownership.
The Social Responsibility Theory(S.R.T) on the other hand was adopted in the United states in the 20th century.In 1942, a commission was established headed by Robert Hutchin and by 1947, the commission released a major report on its findings. The commission met to discuss the credibility of the press but ended up adding the notion of social responsibility. They also emphasized on the need for an independent press that scrutinizes other social institutions and provides objective, accurate reporting news report. The purpose of this theory is to inform, entertain, sell but also to raise conflict to the plane of discussion.Ownership is also private.
THE SIMILARITIES:
Both theories promote freedom of the press and value the United States' media traditions.
Both theories operate on private ownership.
Both theories are not interested in state interference.
Both theories were first adopted by the United States legal system.
Both theories aim at entertaining and informing its audience.
Both theories value the rationality of people who know what is good and evil.
Both theories are overly optimistic about media's willingness to meet responsibility.
Both theories are consistent with United States' media traditions.
THEIR DIFFERENCES.
The libertarian theory arose in opposition to the authoritarian theory of the press while the social responsibility theory arose to polish the libertarian theory of the press.
The libertarian theory is overly optimistic about individual's ethic and rationality while the social responsibility theory is overly optimistic about individual's responsibility.
The libertarian theory demands that media should be free to print whatever their owners want while the social responsibility theory imposes a burden of responsibility on the media practitioners.
The libertarian theory really considers the power of profit motivation and competition while the social responsibility theory underestimates the power of profit motivation.
The libertarian theory of the press was adopted in England and the United States after 1688 and is influential all over the world.The idea of this theory rose in opposition to the authoritarian theory especially amongst the seventeenth century philosophers like John Locke, John Milton, Saint Simone and others.They argued that people are rational beings capable of differentiating between good and evil and if given all the facts will make the right choice.The purpose for this theory was to inform, entertain, educate, as well as check on the government.This theory further on aimed at promoting private ownership.
The Social Responsibility Theory(S.R.T) on the other hand was adopted in the United states in the 20th century.In 1942, a commission was established headed by Robert Hutchin and by 1947, the commission released a major report on its findings. The commission met to discuss the credibility of the press but ended up adding the notion of social responsibility. They also emphasized on the need for an independent press that scrutinizes other social institutions and provides objective, accurate reporting news report. The purpose of this theory is to inform, entertain, sell but also to raise conflict to the plane of discussion.Ownership is also private.
THE SIMILARITIES:
Both theories promote freedom of the press and value the United States' media traditions.
Both theories operate on private ownership.
Both theories are not interested in state interference.
Both theories were first adopted by the United States legal system.
Both theories aim at entertaining and informing its audience.
Both theories value the rationality of people who know what is good and evil.
Both theories are overly optimistic about media's willingness to meet responsibility.
Both theories are consistent with United States' media traditions.
THEIR DIFFERENCES.
The libertarian theory arose in opposition to the authoritarian theory of the press while the social responsibility theory arose to polish the libertarian theory of the press.
The libertarian theory is overly optimistic about individual's ethic and rationality while the social responsibility theory is overly optimistic about individual's responsibility.
The libertarian theory demands that media should be free to print whatever their owners want while the social responsibility theory imposes a burden of responsibility on the media practitioners.
The libertarian theory really considers the power of profit motivation and competition while the social responsibility theory underestimates the power of profit motivation.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
What is Information Society?
The Information Society is the title of a sociological journal, founded in 1981, which defines itself as a "critical forum for leading edge analysis of the impacts, policies, system concepts, and methodologies related to information technologies and changes in society and culture".
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Information_Society.
The idea of an Information society
Before we can adequately appreciate different approaches to understanding informational trends and issues nowadays, we need to pay attention to the definitions which are brought into play by participants in the debates.
It is especially helpful to examine at the outset what those who refer to an information society mean when they evoke this term.
The insistence of those who subscribe to this concept, and their assertion that our time is one marked by its novelty, cries out for analysis, more urgently perhaps than than those scenarios which contend that the status quo remains.
Hence the primary aim of this chapter is to ask:what do people mean when they refer to an information society
Later I comment on the different ways in which contributors perceive 'information' itself. As we shall see - here, in the very conception of the phenomenon which underlies all discussion - there are distinctions which echo the divide between information society theorists who announce the novelty of the present and informational thinkers who recognize the force of the past weighing on today's developments.
Definitions of the information society.
What strikes one in reading the literature on the information society is that so many writers operate with undeveloped definitions of their subject. They write copiously about particular features of the information society but are curiously vague about their operational criteria.
Eager to make sense of changes in information, they rush to interpret these in terms of different forms of economic production, new forms of social interaction, innovative processes of production or whatever.
As they do so, however, they often fail to establish in what ways and why information is becoming more central today, so critical indeed that it is ushering in a new type of society.What strikes one in reading the literature on the information society is that so many writers operate with undeveloped definitions of their subject. They write copiously about particular features of the information society but are curiously vague about their operational criteria.
Eager to make sense of changes in information, they rush to interpret these in terms of different forms of economic production, new forms of social interaction, innovative processes of production or whatever.
Just what is it about information that makes so many scholars think that it is at the core of the modern age? We may distinguish five definitions of information society each of which presents criteria for identifying the new technological and economic transformation.
Source: Questia Media America, Inc. www.questia.com Book Title: Theories of the Information Society. Contributors: Frank Webster - author. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: London. Publication Year: 2002. Page Number 8. Information society Information Society is a term for a society in which the creation, distribution, and manipulation of information has become the most significant economic and cultural activity. An Information Society may be contrasted with societies in which the economic underpinning is primarily Industrial or Agrarian. The machine tools of the Information Society are computers and telecommunications, rather than lathes or ploughs. Policy makers for the G7 (now G8) group of nations recognized, only a few years ago, that: Progress in information technologies and communication is changing the way we live: how we work and do business, how we educate our children, study and do research, train ourselves, and how we are entertained. The idea of a global Information Society can be viewed in relation to Marshall McLuhan's prediction that the communications media would transform the world into a "global village." Here is a succinct definition from the IBM Community Development Foundation in a 1997 report, "The Net Result - Report of the National Working Party for Social Inclusion." Information Society: A society characterized by a high level of information intensity in the everyday life of most citizens, in most organizations and workplaces; by the use of common or compatible technology for a wide range of personal, social, educational and business activities, and by the ability to transmit, receive and exchange digital data rapidly between places irrespective of distance. |
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