The development sector in Pakistan has many problems that are proportionate to the problems of human development itself. Misappropriation of funds, structural barriers, planning and coordination difficulties, slow-moving bureaucracy etc. are rife in this career path. And yet, workers of this sector—from field researchers to technocrats—bring energy and enthusiasm to the battlefield. They believe in the cause; in working for an ideal future and towards progress.
But while there are high ambitions for development and progress, there is also loss of critical information and reflection on the process of development. Development in Pakistan has become traditional, sedimentary, and formulaic. Build a water filtration plant in a low-resource village. Provide skills training to enterprising women. Take an equation and solve for x. This myopic view of problem solving is ignoring the only phenomenon in society that is crucial for and related to the development problem—technology.
Yes; development projects have started making use of technology to improve socioeconomic indicators. Yes; education-technology, fin-tech, health-technology, and other blended innovations have started cropping up in development projects. And yes; the development sector looks to hire semi-technologically-skilled workers as a baseline. But to really move beyond the view of development as a traditional empowerment process means to reckon with the all-pervasive and disruptive nature of technology as the major...
Read Full Story: https://nation.com.pk/25-Nov-2021/technology-in-development
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