Mobile van brings computers to rural areas

At two o’clock every afternoon, a queue starts forming behind a big blue van that is often seen parked under the shade of a large tree, in villages on the outskirts of the north Indian city of Chandigarh.

The Commonwealth Youth Programme Technology Empowerment Centre on Wheels, or ‘CYPTEC on Wheels,’ is a modified mobile van fitted with several desktop computers, mobile internet, public addressing systems, all powered by a generator.

This mobile Information and Computer Technology learning centre is designed to offer computer training to youths in rural areas and help them learn skills which will help them gain future employment.

Every month the van travels to a different rural area in Chandigarh where a tutor offers daily computer training to young people, some of whom have dropped out of school. They are taught how to use computers as well as the internet.

Attentive students

On a hot and humid afternoon on 9 April, 2008, the van was packed by ten pupils – a mixture of teenage girls and boys - listening attentively to the tutor.

Their assignment was to design a card, using wordArt, a Microsoft office programme that allows users to experiment with different colours and textual drawings.

Kuldeep Singh, 13, designed a picture of a professional skier gliding down a snowy slope.

“I want to be a computer designer and programmer,” he explained adding that the lessons have been a good foundation for his future career plans.

To his right, 12-year-old Jaya, designed a red heart with an arrow slicing through the middle.

Surmukh Singh, the Tutor, said the students are eager to learn, with the majority taking about a week to grasp the fundamentals before going on to study more technical internet applications.

“They are very interested in learning, and we often receive more applications for places than we can handle,” he observed.

Opportunity to learn skills

For many villagers in rural India who have never even seen a computer, CYPTEC on Wheels provides them with a good opportunity to learn some basic computer skills and become part of the global digital world. Even in schools where computer lessons have been introduced as part of the syllabus, Mr Singh says that the majority of students spend very little time using the computers, and are unable to master the programmes.

“In most schools, there is usually just one computer for four students for an hour each week. Here, there are two students for one computer for half an hour every day for a whole month,” he explained.

At the end of every month, the van travels to another part of Chandigarh where a new group of eager students will be taken through similar exercises.

Training in jails

Raj Mishra, the Regional Director, CYP Asia Centre recalled that in August 2007, training was also provided to 46 young jail inmates and officers at Chandigarh Model Jail.

This training was conducted in partnership with the Jail Authorities and Noor, a local NGO that works to rehabilitate and reform young offenders.

Mr Mishra said CYPTEC on Wheels has proven successful in bringing ICT awareness to rural poor and disadvantaged communities.

Key Links:

• Commonwealth Youth Programme
• Country Profile: India