The Internet in Andahuaylillas

Pd. Eddy had some big applause lines at the first parent meeting of the school year:

“Starting this year, the snack stands will be forbidden from selling junk food. I saw last year how we tried to feed the children a healthy lunch and so many of them would fill up on sweets and snacks. From now on the snack stands will only sell healthy food that supports a healthy body and development. Foods like corn, eggs, fruit, and so on!” 

“Last year we began construction on a new library space at the high school. The Jesuit community in Cusco has donated most of their books to us – in actuality I stole them – and Fe y Alegría will have the best library in the whole province of Quispicanchi! This library isn't just for students; parents will also be able to get a library card and take books out when the construction is finished this year."

“Part of the reason for building such a great library is that I told all the teachers last year, and I'm reminding them and letting you know, that it is forbidden to assign homework that requires the internet!”

Why would the director of a school in the 21^st century forbid the use of the internet? Why would parents applaud that their children won't be using resources like wikipedia, the online archives of local publications, and so much more? The answers to these questions have everything to do with the cultural reality of internet access in places like Andahuaylillas.

Internet didn't develop in rural Andean towns the way it did in most of the United States. There wasn't really dial up. There was never the frustration of not being able to use the house phone because someone was online. Because there aren't many personal computers.

For most of the population, the internet is accessible at internet cafés, called internets. Café is not the exact word to use here, because there's no coffee. An internet has a number of desktop computers...and that's about it (unless there are some arcade style video games). The amount you pay depends on how much time you spend using the internet.

Which brings us to the first key point about internet usage here: it's a luxury you have to go out and buy.

Requiring students to use the internet for their homework generally means requiring their parents to give them a bit of extra money so that they can pay for the internet time they'll need. Of course there are certain costs associated with sending a child to school (the parent association is in the midst of a strong disagreement about whether or not to raise the monthly cost of school lunch), but requiring families to pay for their child's homework is iffy at best. It especially hurts the poorest families who may not be able to afford it, but also generally live in rural communities than can be as far as 20 minutes driving from Andahuaylillas. Not all the rural communities have internets of their own.

The second key point about internet usage in Quispicanchi: there's little to no parent oversight.

The main reason there's no parent oversight is that the parents are at home, and the internet isn't. The computer in my house has always been located in a public part of the house. My parents could always check up on my internet usage. Without a home computer, such monitoring of a child's internet usage is much more difficult.

Parent oversight of internet usage inherently requires that the parents understand the internet themselves. Keeping up with the kids can be hard for parents and teachers in the States, but many parents here don't have any use for the internet and therefor don't use it. After all, what would they do with internet? Many of them grew up right here and their family members live nearby. They work in the fields, where wifi is as useless as a unicycle. There are plenty of parents who do use the internet for work, who do have internet in their homes, but they are the minority.

Third key point about internet usage in Quispicanchi: internets are the site of criminal activity.

Pd. Eddy talked with people at the municipality when he was considering banning internet homework. One thing they told him was that kids are selling drugs at the internets. Huaro, the next town over, has a problem with some minor gang activity and drug trafficking. In the last few months this problem has started to spill into Andahuaylillas. Don't worry, both towns are safe for most residents, but this is a growing problem for the youth.

So put this all together. I image that parents felt pretty powerless when it came to their children using the internet. They could have fears of the kids getting involved in drug trade/gang activity at the internet but feel obligated to give their child internet money so the child could complete homework. That's extra money out of their pockets. So it's really not such a surprise that parents would applaud the banning of internet related homework.

Of course the internet isn't inherently good or bad. It's not the ubiquitous resource that it is in many rich areas of the world, but it's still a resources. I have mixed feelings about the banning of internet homework, but I understand where the people are coming from. And that's an important part of service to a community not your own – to listen and support in the ways you are asked to, not to tell people that they're wrong and should live more like you. The community spoke clearly when they applauded Pd. Eddy's announcement.

Finally, it should be noted that part of the reason for the construction of the library is to make sure students have the research materials necessary to do all their assignments without the internet. Books, like computers, are something that aren't found in most students' homes here. Having access to a good library could help many students develop habits of reading. And allowing parents to borrow books will empower them in their own continued formation, with the added benefit of modeling/normalizing reading for their children.