“RODRIGO BAGGIO’S COMPUTER LITERACY PROGRAMME FOR BRAZIL’S DISADVANTAGED”- Archive Article
December 10, 2008

RADIO 2GB NEWS COMMENTARY BROADCAST ON FRIDAY JULY 21 2000 ON RADIO 2GB’S “BRIAN WILSHIRE PROGRAMME” AT 9 PM, AND ON JULY 23 2000 ON “SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE” AT 10.30 PM.

It is possible to encourage young people to become more interested in their computers lessons than in drugs or other crime. Here is a positive story of what can be achieved and how lives can be turned around.

The magazine “Sources”, published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has a fascinating story its current edition on how disadvantaged people can become computer literate so that doors can open up onto a whole new world of increased self-esteem and opportunity. My attention was drawn to this article not only because of the information it contained but because Wesley Mission is also able to tell the same type of story because of the work it does.

The Committee for Computer Science Democratization has been operating in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for four years. It is the brainchild of Rodrigo Baggio, a former Rio high school teacher. His gave up his job to lobby businesspeople to donate computers to be used in the slums. He has opened schools in 40 slums in Rio and 33 in other slums in 13 Brazilian states, serving more than 6,000 students.

The idea is that once disadvantaged people become computer literate – after doing a training programme – they gain more self-esteem and put their new knowledge to good use by finding decent jobs.

By way of comparison, according to the United Nations Development Programme “Human Development Index”, the Brazilian economy is about twice the size of Australia’s. But Australia is ranked fourth in the world for human development, whereas Brazil is only in the 74th position.

Rich kids in Brazil tend to get easy access to computers and computer jobs – and Mr Baggio is levelling the playing field. In the past two decades, economic hardship has taken its toll on public education. Classrooms are in shambles, students learn from out-of-date textbooks and the average salary for a public school teacher is one of the lowest in the hemisphere. Consequently, computer classes are offered mainly by private schools that charge fees well beyond the reach of most people.

Mr Baggio’s clients are poor kids and kids with a criminal background. Each school has a minium of five computers and a printer and held in community centres, schools, churches and converted prison cells. The teachers are themselves recruited from those slums or are prisoners who earn a reduced sentence (rather than a salary) for the training they do. This is a multiplier effect. Disadvantaged people learn how to use computers and then train others how to use them. Learning computers provides kids with an alternative to crime and drugs. In due course, they can earn money working on computers.

Mr Baggio’s scheme has attracted much favourable international attention and support. The United Methodist Church in the United States is a sponsor of this scheme, as is the Microsoft corporation, and in 1997 the US President and Mrs Clinton visited one of the classes. UNESCO is publicizing this scheme with the intention that other countries could copy it.

This is the type of lateral thinking that is required to beat crime and drugs. Extra law enforcement officials will not solve the problems. Kids have to be given a positive alternative. This is also an opportunity for businesspeople to help charities by putting something back into the community.