By Timmy de Rivera
August 2, 2010

Along with other leading intergovernmental institutions worldwide, the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) is a strong advocate for the establishment of a Philippine knowledge society where the power of information and communication is well within reach of Filipinos citizens such that, along with other citizens of the world, they are able to access whatever knowledge they may need in order to improve their daily lives and achieve their full potential.

Insofar as enabling people to deal with the challenge of making effective use of ICT is concerned, the concept of information literacy has now become critically important. Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academe, civil society and the private sector have all come to the conclusion that computers, the Internet, cellular phones and other hand-held wireless devices are driving profound changes in the way pictures, voice, data and information are being created, transmitted, accessed and stored. However, one additional important conclusion that is now also being made is that learning basic computer skills and understanding multimedia technologies are simply not enough if nations, institutions and individuals are to reap the benefits offered by rapidly-emerging global knowledge societies. Information Literacy: A Call to Action In this context, ‘information literacy is now a new paradigm in the information and communication landscape. The Alexandria Proclamation, adopted by the High Level Colloquium on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning back in November 2005, already defined information literacy as a mean to “empower people in all walks of life to seek, evaluate, use and create information effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational and educational goals”.

In this digital age, what information literacy therefore means is that understanding technologies is not enough. What everyone must also do is learn how to utilize those incredibly diverse and powerful technologies efficiently and effectively to search for, retrieve, organize, analyze, evaluate information and then use it for specific decision-making and problem-solving ends.

In the Alexandria Proclamation, information literacy initiatives were further described as the “beacons of the Information Society, illuminating the courses to development, prosperity and freedom”.

The United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (more commonly known as UNESCO) has been at the global forefront in developing patterns of learning, cultural expression, social participation, and in providing opportunities for development. Though all these, information literacy has been at the heart of UNESCO’s broader mandate for the construction of knowledge societies. Over the past three years, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with a living legend in UNESCO’s Communication and Information sector, Dr. Abdul Waheed Khan, currently UNESCO assistant director-general for Communication and Information. Dr. Kahn’s legacy programs at UNESCO have molded much of my current thinking with regard to the use of information for development, as well as information ethics, information preservation, information accessibility and information literacy (including, by the way, much of what I’m saying in this article!).

As a concrete example of Dr. Kahn’s legacy, UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP) has, under Dr. Kahn’s tutelage, been focusing its actions on information literacy as one of its five priority areas, and has initiated and promoted a series of activities, including the organization of international expert meetings, funding and implementing several dozen pilot projects, production of several publications, and providing an Internet portal for use by practicing professionals and others interested in learning about this concept and its applications.

In the Philippines, information literacy initiatives have been championed for several years now by Dr. Florangel Braid, who serves as chairman emeritus of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC), and Mr. Ramon Tuazon, who is the president of AIJC.

So watch this space, folks. Better yet, join us by launching your own personal information literacy advocacy! With the Freedom of Information Law in place (finally!) and the final push expected in many sectors of Philippine society towards the achievement of the WSIS and MDG goals by 2015, an information-literate Filipino nation is definitely a doable target.

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