Bridging digital divide in Bangladesh: study on community information centers
| Published date | 09 August 2011 |
| Pages | 506-522 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471111156768 |
| Date | 09 August 2011 |
| Author | Anwarul Islam,Keita Tsuji |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Bridging digital divide in
Bangladesh: study on community
information centers
Md. Anwarul Islam
Department of Information Science & Library Management,
Faculty of Arts, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and
Keita Tsuji
Graduate School of Library, Information and Media Studies,
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba-city, Japan
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss different attempts that have been made to bridge
the digital divide in Bangladesh, with special focus on the Community Information Centers (CICs),
which are playing a unique and innovative role in reducing the digital gap.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a case study and is based on a survey method for
collecting information through telephone (outbound call center). Besides these, internet, personal visits
(as a project member) and other secondary sources such as research reports, Grameenphone internal
reports, articles are used.
Findings – This paper highlights the existing initiatives which are bridging the break to build digital
Bangladesh and focuses on how CIC is bridging the divide.
Research limitations/implications – This study will usher a new era for its internal values and
the findings can be used by the advisory committees. The outcome of this study may, however,
empower policy makers to make a decision and it is suggested that discussion and further writings are
needed to bridge the digital divide in Bangladesh.
Originality/value – This paper is one of the very few studies which focus on the prospects of
Community Information Centers in Bangladesh, particularly breaking the digital discrimination
between rural and urban areas.
Keywords Information centres, Digital Bangladesh, Internet, Digitaldivide, Rural areas
Paper type Case study
Introduction
These days “Digital Bangladesh” and “Vision 2021” are catch phrases in Bangladesh.
These buzzwords are no longer confined to the lexicon of information and
communication technology (ICT) enthusiasts, but have entered the vocabulary of the
educated section of the population. It has become the most discussed issue and people
have shown their interests in this subject. It is a good news for the country that
nowadays different steps are taking shape and interest groups are coming up with
their own interpretations and agendas. Broadly speaking a digital society ensures an
ICT driven knowledge-based society and in order to build a digital society it needs to
reduce the gap between information rich and poor in the community. It needs to build a
system where information will be readily available online and people from different
parts of the country will avail themselves of the information through different
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0264-0473.htm
EL
29,4
506
Received October 2009
Revised January 2010
March 2010
Accepted April 2010
The Electronic Library
Vol. 29 No. 4, 2011
pp. 506-522
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/02640471111156768
channels. To bridge the digital divide, it needs to establish technology driven
e-governance which includes e-administration, e-commerce, e-production, e-agriculture,
e-health etc. (Kabir, 2009). The restrictions for the development of information
technology is financial limitations. The countries that suffer the most financial
hardships are third World countries. The ability to access technological and scientific
information does not just give a nation power, but it enables that nation to lead a better
life in all aspects. The digital divide is what makes these opportunities impossible for
Third World countries to access. If you cannot access the technology then you cannot
access the information and this puts these developing countries at a disadvantage
(DiBello, 2005).
Background of the study
Bangladesh is one of the least developed and overpopulated nations in the world with
153,546,896 (July 2008 est.) people (The World Factbook, 2008) living in an area of
1,47,570 km
2
(Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2006). The country has been struggling
to meet the basic needs of its people, with respect to food, clothing, shelter, health,
education and the like. But the country is facing various social problems like
population explosion, natural disasters, gradual increase of unemployment,
malnutrition, mass illiteracy, unhygienic environment, poor medical facilities, over
exploitation of existing natural resources, communication difficulties, etc. These
problems are highly pronounced in the rural areas where 76 per cent of the population
lives (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2001).
Information and communication activities are a fundamental element of any rural
development activity. The country will become digital if the country reduces the gap
by taking different initiatives for providing information communication technologies
(ICT) facilities. The internet is the most effective tool for bridging the gap and internet
facilities are the pre-condition for bridging the digital divide. In this case, the position
of Bangladesh is the worst one among the sub-continental countries. The latest
statistics (ITU, 2007) has revealed that the internet penetration in Bangladesh is only
0.3 per cent whereas for Pakistan and India, these rates are 7.3 per cent and 5.3 per cent
respectively. In Bangladesh, where less than 1 per cent of the people have internet
access and where the broadband connection is prohibitively expensive, bridging the
digital divide may require new approaches (Wagstaff, 2008). That is why
Grameenphone internet has appeared with Global System for Mobile (GSM)
technology. Grameenphone established Community Information Centers across the
country for providing major ICT services for the community people. As in Bangladesh,
76 per cent of population lives in village or rural areas, it needless to say that
development of this country largely depends on development of these people
(Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2001).
ICT greatly facilitates the quick and easy access to information and knowledge
which offers the socially-marginalized and unaware community unprecedented
opportunities to attain their own entitlements (Akbar, 2004). In recent days, various
initiatives from different stakeholders, mainly Non Government Organizations (NGOs )
and private sectors have been taken to establish of telecenters, Rural information
centers or ICT center in Bangladesh. At this point in time, a partnership has emerged
between Society for Economic and Basic Advancement (SEBA) and Grameenphone t o
established community information centers (CICs) in rural areas of Bangladesh to
Bridging digital
divide in
Bangladesh
507
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