Why do we need Computer and Advanced English centres :
In today's world, computer literacy is becoming as important as basic, formal education. Most employers require their employees to have basic computer skills. Once Calcutta Social Project recognized this need to provide computer and advanced english centres. The course started by the year 2002.
This initiative took on a very structured and expanded form after Charities Aid Foundation with funding from Accenture backed the CSP Computer Education and Spoken English programme from 2011 onwards.
Since then, over 100 underprivileged youngsters have completed the Basic Course of CSP covering MS Office. An Advanced Course has also started since 2013 (concurrently with the Basic Course) covering, Networking, Hardware, Photoshop and Basic Web Page Designing.
COMPUTER BASIC
- Basic desktop operating and usage, control panel, paint, word pad etc.
- Microsoft Office
- Word
- Excel
- Power point
- Internet & e-mail, maintenance and revision
ADVANCE
- Internet in Details
- Data Transfer Between Diff. Media and Data Backup
- Computer Networking:
- What is Metworking, diff. networking device, diff cabling, IP addressing, LAN and basic WAN.
- Adobe Photoshop
- Assembling of desktop computer and Installation of Operating system and other software.
ENGLISH
- Understand basic English and have a conversation.
- Read, write and understand basic English language.
- Prepare documents on the computer.
- Use the internet for research.
- Follow instructions provided on a Computer
After completing the BASIC Computer Course you can continue studying in the following fields:
- Computer Hardware Courses
- Computer Software Courses
- Animation
After completing the ADVANCED Computer Course you can continue studying in the following fields:
- Web Designing
- Internet Marketing
- Graphic Designing
- Fashion Designer
- Programming Courses (C++, PHP etc)
- Java Courses
- HTML Courses
- Global Certification Courses in MCP and in CCNA
The CSP Computer and Spoken English program educates the students in various fields in the respective areas of Computers and English. After completing these courses the students will be enabled to continue studying in the field and they will also be enabled to get jobs in this field as per their interest.
A Calcutta Social Project initiative sponsored by CAF and supported by Accenture
Calcutta Social Project (CSP) works with Street Children and Slum Children, of Kolkata, India. The single minded focus of work is to create opportunity for such children to access education and skills that will ultimately enable them to stand on their own feet as socially productive citizens. CSP has 42 years of experience in working for the poorest of the poor in Kolkata.
In its drive to ensure that its slum and street children beneficiaries have the empowerment through education of standing on their own feet, CSP realised early on, that, in the contemporary market scenario, no youngster could be competitive in employability without being adequately computer familiar.
Therefore, since 2002 onwards, CSP has been running, in one form or another, a computer education programme for its beneficiaries.
Need for the programme:
The need for the Practice Centre of the Computer Education arises from the fact that practically no underprivileged student of the Computer Education Centre has wherewithal for ,or access to, a computer anywhere other than in the CSP Computer Education Centre.
This implies that whereas the time spent in the Computer Centre is consumed by classes and learning of the course in question, the underprivileged child is deprived of polishing and practising knowledge and skills acquired, because there is no free computer, nor time, nor location to practice what he has learnt and to acquire speed.
This has been identified as a critical lacuna in the program which debars students speed, familiarity and cementing of the knowledge acquired in the courses at the Computer Education Centre.
Therefore CSP has commissioned a centre where impoverished students, past and present, can come and practice what they have learnt and polish their skills, thereby eliminating the competitive edge that a middle class child with a computer at home presently has. A Practice Centre completes what the Computer Education Centre sets out to do.
Target Beneficiaries of this programme will be all slum and street children enrolled currently or previously in the CSP Computer Education Centre coming from underprivileged background.
How have we been helping:
- We provide the underprivileged child of the CSP computer centre a level playing field as compared to a middle class child with a computer at home.
- We ensure that before the student proceeds to the next lesson or stage, he/she has had infrastructural facility to hone and polish on the lesson learnt.
- We also ensure that an impoverished student, who has completed the CSP course but not yet found employment or vocation involving a computer, does not become “rusty”, out of touch and forgetful of what has been previously learned. It is essential that when he does get an employment opportunity, he or she is fighting fit despite not being in position to own a computer.
SOCIOLOGICAL
- Prevents Educational Dropout under parental instigation/pressure as computer education is a symbol of empowerment
- Motivates the local community and turns them positive to the process of learning
- Breaks the inertia of tradition in selecting inherited vocations that perpetuate family poverty.
- Offers a glamorous alternative to anti social allurement
PSYCHOLOGICAL
- Self consciousness grows of internal capacity building
- Instills confidence
- Leads towards outlook of gender equality
- Reduces inhibition and timidity or submissiveness thereby reducing scope for exploitation.
- Removes long instilled inferiority complexes ( knowledge of English + Computers)
- Opens mental horizons
- Earning possibility in Retail, big or small
- Earning possibility as data entry operator
- Earning possibility as typist
- Helps in positive attitude required to face interviews
- Earning possibility in computer Hardware & networking company
- Start own business in photography
- Transformational Exposure experience of accessing information from internet
- Facilitates Stream choosing for creative youths of alternative vocations