The Digital Equalizer (DE) Centers: Direct Creation of Regional Wealth

   

Inaugurated by Kumar Malavalli, trustee of the American India Foundation [7] (AIF) and Kailash Joshi, president of the Silicon Valley chapter of TiE, [8] two revolutionary centers of digital access for underprivileged children were opened in Karnataka on August 14, 2001.

Conceptualized specifically as a means to address the vast digital divide in India, the DE centers directly target the uneven distribution of educational opportunities in India. Each center provides digital access to disadvantaged children in grades nine to 12 through computers, Internet access, and prescribed educational content.

The impact of each center is calculated by the expected increases in regional wealth creation. At the rate of India's per capita income growth, the maximum lifetime earnings of the average child without digital access is estimated to be $30,000. The exposure to computers at these centers increases the confidence, skill set, and drive of each student and is expected to at least double their lifetime earning to $60,000.

Thus, the simple use of computers and Internet access ” facilities that the western world takes for granted and that are, in fact, becoming increasingly popular in large urban conglomerates in India as well ” can provide a real opportunity to create wealth. While the DE project is an example of creative implementations of existing and widely used technologies, many viable concepts are emerging from innovative applications of educational R&D, such as the Simputer. [9]

   


Creating Regional Wealth in the Innovation Economy. Models, Perspectives, and Best Practices
Creating Regional Wealth in the Innovation Economy: Models, Perspectives, and Best Practices
ISBN: 0130654159
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 237

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