Working together for digital literacy
Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner
Yesterday MEP Kartika Liotard asked me to do more to adapt computer technologies to the needs of people with low literacy levels. I am writing here to say that I fully support the principle, and that is why digital literacy issues form one of the seven pillars of the Digital Agenda for Europe. I want to assure you that I take digital literacy seriously. Your background, current lack of skills and other factors like a disability should not be a permanent barrier to enjoying the benefits of the digital era.
Having said that, lack of literacy often does exclude people from the digital world. The difficult question is not whether to take action, but who is best placed to address Europe’s digital literacy deficit. And how do we mobilise the resources to make real changes, and not merely nice promises?
The key in my opinion is co-ordination. An ICT policy alone will not bring an illiterate person in a small town in the Netherlands, for example, into the digital world. It takes several layers of support, including with partners like Telecentre Europe, in addition to government resources.
The core is obviously integrating digital competences more effectively into our education and training systems - so that digital literacy is seen as a part of literacy in general. Most funding of this nature comes from the EU’s member states, rather than the European Commission budget. However, we are proposing that digital literacy and competences should be a priority for the European Social Fund regulation and that digital literacy and skills are a priority of the “New skills for new jobs” programme the Commission is launching in 2010.
But there are also ways around some aspects of the literacy and ICT challenge - for example voice recognition technology. And we can’t forget that some people who are online still lack the confidence they need to really make full use of the internet. So we are also doing things like building new online consumer education tools to address these confidence problems.
Finally I will be pushing very hard for Member to implement long-term e-skills and digital literacy policies, and for the ICT industry to act responsibly in building up literacy - something that will be good for those currently excluded and which will increase opportunities for those companies.
If we get this right we will improve the chances in life of millions of Europeans, and eventually this will lead to a stronger society and economy overall.
By Neelie Kroes, Digital Agenda Commissioner