USING TECHNOLOGY FOR SOCIAL GOOD: HOW DIGITAL SKILLS CAN BE LEVERAGED TO PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNANCE;
I'm here again to contribute my own quota to this defined and beautiful discourse. Over the past few years, the impact and importance of technology has extended beyond internets only; its usefulness could be seen in our daily lives activities - washing machine, electric cook, refrigerator, and several other modern domestic working tools, that's helped in rendering house chores more effective and efficient.
It's also evident on our farm land. The machines, and equipment use to cary out basic farm operation are the end result of technology - Tractor, Plougher, Harvester, and on, and on. Tractor could cover a wide range of land within a short period of time compared to the ancient days when hoeing was the order of the day - thus making commercial farming impossibly practical and very hard. Fortunately, technology has contributed its own part to the farming sector by enhancing productivity, and timely result.
The uniqueness of technology goes beyond matching words. The stats are there. It's really helped in developmental advancement, and still helping in achieving sustainable environment. It's developed the social structure, and environmental stability. TECHNOLOGY is a powerful tool that could change the world, and this has helped the US, Japan, China, India - medical facilities, etc.. to build a great and formidable Nations.
Without further ado, it's high time I digressed back to the main discussion. Before I start, it's essential, and vital to keenly make some expansion on some major keywords that made up the topic. With no confusion, technology can be expressed in layman knowledge as any useful skill or mechanism that was developed or invented. Social good are the benefits that could be gotten for the society, hence giving a productive society.
Just as I've mentioned in one of my writings, digital skills are the skills that are perceived to be a modern day skills, and are usually linked to computer networks, by extension, technological skills. Transparency in Governance is the openness and accountability in a political system, government, or administration - the flow of competency, and reliability in any administration. "There can be no faith in government if our highest offices are excused from scrutiny — they should be setting the example of transparency.” — Edward Snowden.
Categorically, and to the major discussion, digital skills/knowledge can be leveraged to promote transparency in Governance in diverse manners and ways; Setting app for health care and education, creating digital tools for environment sustainability, and digital tools have the potential to overhaul the management of education systems, while also fostering transparency and accountability within the sector, enabling efficient data-driven decision-making, enhancing citizen engagement through online platforms, and ensuring secure handling of sensitive information to build trust.
App settings for health care and education will automatically bring about social, and environmental good. The act of creating app for hospitals, majorly public owned hospitals will help systematize the record, and data of the hospital, thereby providing a working class hospitals. The damage, and harms the physical handling of the hospital records has caused can never be undone, it’s caused many people thier lives. To the education sector, it suffers the same disease. If the details of the students are being configured on the system, it will help build a stress free environment, and I’m glad the tertiary institutions have been implementing this in some sector of the school.. The impact of technology is audible to the deaf, and clear to the blind.
The provision of digital tools for environment sustainability; the availability of these tools will drastically catalyse the sustainability of the environment. This protrudes computer, handset, laptop, tablet, and e-app. The involvement of these in the social structure will vehemently improve, and develop the society. Majorly, computers could serve as a medium of documenting the data of every citizen of a particular area in case of statistical values. Handset also has helped build a better Nation, and still is. The relaying of information, and other necessary details has been made possible by digital tools. The inclusion of technology will largely propagate reliability, and accountability.
Concerning the education department, it's crystal clear and obvious to note the role technology is playing in this sector. For the past few years, the famous JAMB has induced a new style of operation (CBT)- and that's a technological innovation; the ability to foresee what the future holds. Unlike when it was still JAMB, PPT. This has made the system more accurate, precise, and reliable, and stress free for both parties. WAEC is also planning to embark on a CBT session, and this will bring about more credibility, and honesty. Technology has really helped! And still helping.
About transparency in governance, it’s a necessity to know that technology - digital skills will greatly influence. It will help enable an efficient and effective data-driven decision making. In any administration, there would always be decision making, as that is the main purpose of governing bodies. With technology, it will be very much easier, and convenient to familiarize yourself with data that would help in making good decisions - decision making skills. With no doubt, this will build transparency. Technology can never be underrated, but be overrated.
The awareness or engagement of citizen through online platforms, or media is also a technological innovation. As much as this sounds unrelated and weird, it plays a vital role on how digital skills could be leverage to promote transparency. By doing such, peace and unity will co-exist. Physical assault, and destruction of properties will be a thing of past. The citizen will pay rapt attention to the details of the engagement session, and leaving a never-dying coverage of the speech delivered. This will instill the act of good will in the leaders; "SAY WHAT YOU CAN DO, DON'T SAY WHAT YOU CAN'T". The enhancement of this idea will bread transparency, honesty, and accountability...to the present day physical meeting; smooth talking.. Lol.
Technology will help ensure secure handling of sensitive information to build trust. The in-depth application of digital tools will better give room for secured information. Digital tools will better implement the ideas, and the strategic approach to better hold sensitive information that would be accompanied with full trust. With technology, you can have an information for eternity, even when you do change the tools. Technology has really renovated the world to form a better place. And this will, in no lesser way, shapen the social, and economic conditions...by extension transparency in Governance. No information lost!
The importance of Technology if being used for social good, and transparency can never be overemphasized, as it is a bedrock for every want-to-be-developed countries, check the developed countries out. The advancement of technology, and the recruitment of expert - technical know-how will seemingly drive the nation positively, and aid transparency. Life will be more easier, convenient, lifetime secured information will be provided. Traansparency will come to reality, as we’ve always had nontranparency in administration. Sighs….
I believe, and I know the roles being played by technology. My engineering field has sharpen my view, and directly imbibed me with the necessary onions about technology. In the end, and in conclusion, technology (digital tools) can be leveraged to promote transparency, easy running in every administration; government, education, health sector, and other relevant institutions.
The act should be fully implemented, and I can assure you, this will birth a greater Nation that we never had! Yes, I'm opened to all sort of objections, if there's any. Thank you.
© Babatunde Olabode (GMNSE)
The IbarapaBoy.
