| ICTs
in Telecenters...  page
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Telecenter Activities
Telecenters use information technology to offer a variety
of different activities. Computer training remains the most
popular, with half of all telecenters offering some sort of
formal training program. Education (19%), e-governance activities
(12%), and programs aimed at youth (12%) round out the most
common offerings.
Figure 6. Percent of Telecenter Initiatives that Offer
a Specific
Activity
The Clearinghouse tracks an assortment
of different IT-enabled activities, many of which are
offered through telecenters. Some of these activities depend
on telecenter infrastructure more than others.
For instance, even though only 3% of telecenters offer activities
involving Internet-enabled radio, they account for nearly
a third of all ICT-enabled radio activities in the Clearinghouse.
More than a third of all agriculture applications and computer
training is conducted through telecenters. Financial and business
services, too, are also frequently implemented through telecenters,
even though a small overall percentage (2% and 5% respectively)
actually offer them.
Figure 7. Overall % of Activity Offered Through Telecenter
Initiatives
All Telecenters are Not Created Equal
The activities of a telecenter vary widely depending on which
type of managing organization (for-profit, non-profit, or
government) is setting the telecenter up. The graph below
shows a breakdown of activities based on sector.
Figure 8. Telecenter Initiative Activities by Sector
Government telecenters, predictably, primarily offer e-governance
services. While a small number do offer computer training,
education, and activities related to agriculture, youth, and
the empowerment of women, they typically lag behind the other
two sectors. Several activities, primarily the financial ones,
are not offered at all.
Agricultural activities are found most often in for-profit
telecenters, perhaps reflecting a willingness to pay for agricultural
inputs such as accurate crop prices, weather reports, and
crop diagnostic services. Other activities that are found
almost exclusively in for-profit centers include business
development, e-commerce, and financial services. Healthcare
services are rarely offered in these telecenters, an indication
that fee-based health applications market may be still developing.
Non-profit telecenters offer the vast majority of computer
training, education, and youth-based activities. Healthcare
and radio applications are also almost solely offered in these
centers. Like government-run telecenters, business-focused
services are rarely included in services offered.
Box
1. A Note About the Data
In the search for sustainability,
telecenters will often offer new services that we don't
know about. This is particularly true of more robust multipurpose
community telecenters. Unless a planned activity was already
in place when the project was entered into the Clearinghouse,
it may not be reflected in the data. Therefore, the absolute
number of telecenter projects that offer a specific activity
should be considered conservative. |
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