Gandhi's third assassination: Information and communications technology education in India

Abstract

The impact that information technology can have on development is the subject of an ongoing debate. Central to this debate is the role of universities. Education shapes people's attitudes toward technology and determines how it will be used. This research shows that in India, students at higher educational institutions are socialized to believe that information technology can have a very positive impact on their country. They do not share the skepticism commonly found in Western literature. This research finds that first and foremost, IT is seen as a tool for personal development, where students can leverage their education to become rich and successful, either in India or abroad. Second, IT is seen as a tool for Indian ascension, lifting India to the status of a great global power. Only thirdly is IT seen as a means to assist in the development of India's poor population. C 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Young people and ICTs in developing countries

“…Recent surveys of tertiary education establishments in India suggest that young people actively embrace use of advanced ICTs, not least as a tool for personal development (Ezer, 2006). Nonetheless, it is, to date, hard to move beyond anecdotal evidence on the impact of the Internet on learning in LDCs.…”

Training for innovation in India: Cultural considerations and strategic Implications

“…Though traditional studies of Indian personnel characterized them as collectivist (Hofstede, 1980;England, 1978), several theorists and studies on India suggest collectivist notions may be both in transition and more attached to social behavior than work behavior (Chatterjee & Pearson, 2000;Sinha & Sinha, 1995;Tripathi, 1995). Findings in recent research on the attitudes of Indian students and personnel show clear indications of Westernization and individualist goals (Ezer, 2006;Chatterjee & Pearson, 2000). However, this shift from collectivist to individualist tendencies does not necessarily indicate a shift from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation.…”

“…Research on global software organizations reveals evidence of Western perceptions of Indian employees as too authority dependent and less willing to disagree with superiors or offer alternative perspectives (D'Mello, 2006; Nicholson & Sahay, 2004). The hierarchical structure of Indian organizations often requires adherence to established rules and authority-dependent behavior (Ezer, 2006;Sinha & Sinha, 1995). The top-down models functioning in Indian higher education and organizations have likely encouraged implementing thinking habits and discouraged the use of evaluative and inventive thinking in the workplace.…”

“…Indicators that Indians are becoming more individualist were found in their responses to questions about personal wealth and success, which are considered extrinsic motivators. Also, external pressure to succeed is prevalent in India and has been shown to influence the workplace attitudes and practices of individuals (D'Mello, 2006;Ezer, 2006).…”

Identifying complex cultural interactions in the instructional design process: a case study of a cross-border, cross-sector training for innovation program

“…In the context of higher-education, Ezer (2006) interviews faculty and students in India to get an impression of the attitudes towards ICTs and ICTs in education in India.…”