“My child will be respected”: Parental perspectives on computers in rural India

Abstract

Computer centers in rural Indian public schools raise questions about the value of expensive modern technology in starkly poor environments. Arguments for or against spending on computers in low-income schools have appeared in policy circles, academia, teacher conferences, and philanthropic discussions, with passionate rhetoric from all sides. One shortcoming of the debate has been the absent voice of parents and children themselves. We present the results of a qualitative study of computer-aided learning centers in four districts of rural Karnataka, South India, where we discussed with parents issues such as aspirations, quality of schooling, and the perception of computers more generally. The research reveals a range of voices on hopes for the next generation, perceived value of computer courses and higher education, and views on the arrival of computers into their village schools. It emerges that in the minds of many parents, the computer has an immense symbolic value - separate from its functional value - that is tied to social and economic ascendancy. We find that this symbolic value derives from associations that parents imbibe from their various interactions with people using computers in a range of situations. Despite a large number of parents not entirely clear on what a computer does, the sense of mystical quality about technology is a feature we find across the board. In discussions with rural parents, we find an environment of great fear about the future of agriculture, because of which computer-aided learning centers have become a symbol of future aspirations of jobs for their children. The research also reveals varied related concerns of parents from the dowry implications of having computer-trained daughters to the relative value of English versus computer literacy as the key to social mobility.