Dimensions of IT literacy in an Arab region: A study in Barkha (Oman)

The transformational potential of the Information and Communication Technology lies in the ability of the people to make the best use of it. In fact, they need to be e-ready to benefit from what is known as the digital society. The rapidity of technological advances is, in fact, pushing many developing countries digitally far behind. However, as of now, it is well accepted that the digital divide is not merely about technology deprivation, but is also about many inter-related social, educational, cultural, political and economic issues. Understanding its subtle nuances in the context of different parts of the developing world is extremely important to address the problem in a meaningful way. This paper is about an action research done in the district of Barkha in the Sultanate of Oman, through a pilot IT literacy campaign. The study reveals that, for evolving a digital society in an Arab region, issues such as linguistic literacy and information literacy are far more challenging than the much publicized computer literacy. The study also concludes that Oman is at the threshold of access to technology but has challenges with regard to cognitive access, content access and an enabling environment.