5.1 Introduction
Most of the rural people of Bangladesh are poor, illiterate or nearly illiterate and conservative. They have their own conventional mindset and life cycle. They only concentrate on their livelihood and its improvement through traditional application.
Delivering public service through UDC is a new concept to them. So, most of them are indifferent to ICT, ICT based public tele-center (UDC) which already has been proved a powerful force to the development. To understand their requirements for the accessibility towards UDC, we have had a literature survey, KII and field survey and found some important factors responsible behind their accessibility.
5.2 Service Accessibility Factors: Citizens’ Perspective
To ensure access to UDC, different opinions have been collected from literature survey, field survey and KII. We have got three sub-factors mainly to access to information service delivery from UDCs. These are as follows:
1) Effective advertisement 2) Ensuring TCV facilities and
3) Entrepreneurs’ regularity, efficiency and responsiveness.
5.2.1 Effective Advertisement of UDC and Its Benefits
It has been five years since the establishment, still now most of the rural people are not aware of the information service delivery of UDC. It has been observed that this is due to lack of awareness and publicity among the citizens. It can be ensured through advertising of its services and benefits. The rural users and entrepreneurs have chosen several methods of advertising like 1) electronic media, 2) print media, 3) Billboard, 4) Uthan Boithok (yard meeting), 5) Banner, 6) Signboard, 7) Miking (Public announcement), 8) Gathering (meeting), 9) Leaflet and 10) Ward Meetings.
5.2.2 Reaching TCV and other Facilities to the Citizens Doorsteps
To have a smooth access to the public service of UDC there must be some facilities which attract them to connect with UDC and avail its services. It must be time saving (rapid), cost saving (cheap) and visit (sufferings) saving. Side by side there should be other related facilities in UDC like sitting arrangement, water and sanitation facilities that fascinate them to connect with UDC and avail its services.
5.2.3 Entrepreneurs’ Regularity, Efficiency and Responsiveness
The effectiveness of UDC in terms of e-service delivery essentially depends upon the skill of entrepreneurs as the delivery is fulfilled by them. If they are not skilled enough to provide the e-services; citizens suffer and it affects their accessibility. Secondly, their regularity, punctuality brings peoples’ trust towards them. If they are irregular and late in the UDC, these affect the users negatively in their accessibility. Finally their co-operation
i.e. pleasant behavior, honesty, responsiveness makes the citizens to have a positive feelings about UDC. As the citizens are main participants of e-services, their satisfaction about the entrepreneurs is very much necessary in their smooth access.
5.3 Analysis the Significance of Citizens’ Accessibility Factors
From the above exploration, the following factors have been identified required by the different group of citizens for their smooth access. Here, the value of these factors (groups scores) have been calculated by the previous 5 point category scale and score.
Table 19: Citizens’ Accessibility Factors and their Scores
Groups
Factors
Gender Residence Qualification Income Occupation Age
Male Female Within 1 KM Within 2 KM Within 3 KM Up to PSC JSC/JDC SSC/ Dakhil HSC or Above No Vehicle Non-mechanized Mechanized Unemployed Employed (Govt./Private) Self-Business Student Up to 25 years Up to 50 years Above 50years
Direct / Field
Advertisement 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Printed
advertisement 4.48 4.00 4.44 4.30 3.98 4.36 4.30 4.05 4.25 4.30 4.26 4.16 4.20 3.74 4.78 4.24 4.24 4.68 3.80 Electronic
Advertisement 4.96 4.96 5.00 4.94 4.98 4.98 5.00 4.96 3.90 4.98 4.94 4.96 4.98 3.94 4.96 4.96 4.92 4.96 5.00 Facility in
Time/ Distance 3.36 2.82 3.21 3.12 2.94 3.39 3.15 3.08 2.98 2.07 3.58 3.62 2.87 3.12 3.46 2.88 2.98 3.72 2.93 Facility in Cost
3.74 2.16 3.42 3.00 2.43 2.90 2.96 2.96 2.98 2.90 3.06 2.89 2.90 2.96 3.02 2.92 2.90 2.96 2.99
Facility in Visit/
trip 3.11 2.77 3.05 2.90 2.87 3.12 3.00 2.94 2.70 3.14 3.07 2.61 2.37 3.03 3.32 3.04 2.40 3.70 2.72 Facility in
waiting 3.71 2.49 3.58 3.13 2.59 2.97 3.32 3.26 2.85 2.80 3.37 3.39 2.65 2.97 3.78 3.00 2.50 3.80 3.00 Entrepreneurs’
regularity 4.85 4.51 4.79 4.65 4.60 4.87 4.74 4.68 4.33 4.88 4.81 4.35 4.86 4.88 4.87 4.83 4.44 4.82 4.78 Entrepreneurs’
efficiency 4.95 4.61 4.89 4.75 4.70 4.97 4.84 4.78 4.43 4.98 4.91 4.45 4.96 4.98 4.97 4.93 4.54 4.92 4.88 Entrepreneurs’
reliability 4.24 3.74 4.01 4.00 3.96 3.12 3.96 4.26 4.62 4.00 4.13 3.84 4.43 3.43 4.08 4.02 4.86 4.36 2.75
Through the above analysis, the rural users have been asked to measure the primary factors with above scale through structured closed ended questionnaire, they have marked it and it has been presented here precisely. From the above different groups average scores, the average mean against each indicator with their ranking have been presented through the following table.
Table 20: Rank and Mean of Users’ Accessibility Factors
From the above table, it is clear that rural citizens do not have clear idea about UDCs and their services and facilities. So the known citizens/ users have given their importance on the different publicity methods like direct communication through meeting, miking, gathering, rally, cultural activities. They have also given importance on electronic and printed advertisement. Through this advertisement every citizen can be acquainted with every service facility. Especially they will be informed about the facility of time saving, cost saving and visit saving (TCV). These three TCV are the great advantages to connect with the UDC. Beside these, Entrepreneurs’ efficiency is another important factor to trust
Factors Mean Rank
21 Field advertisement of all services (Gathering, meeting rally, Miking) 4.96 2 22 Printed advertisement of all services (Banner, Signboard Leaflet, Poster) 4.24 5 23 Electronic Advertisement of all services ( (TV, Radio, Dish TV) 5 1
24 Facility in Time/ Distance 3.09 8
25 Facility in Cost 2.95 9
26 Facility in Visit/ trip 2.94 10
27 Facility in waiting arrangement (sitting, water, Sanitation etc.) 3.10 7
28 Entrepreneurs regularity 4.68 4
29 Entrepreneurs efficiency 4.78 3
30 Entrepreneurs responsiveness 3.99 6
UDC. If the entrepreneurs are efficient, they can solve peoples demand easily and efficiently which can bring people’s faith. Finally their regularity and responsiveness carry people’s fascination to come to UDC.
5.4 Users Service Accessibility Factors and Publicity
According to publicity almost all of the requirements are present in the UDC or at least Government is trying to deliver it. The UP authority is working with direct communication through union meeting, ward meeting, village meeting, miking, rally, cultural rally etc.
UDC entrepreneurs are advertising through banner, signboard, festoon, Poster, leaflet, wall writing etc. Beside this government is trying to attach it in electronic advertisement in BTV, Radio Dish TV etc. Through all these methods of advertisement, government is trying to reach the rural people with all the news of UDC services and its TCV facilities.
Side by side UP authority has managed sitting and waiting arrangement with sanitation facilities. Through monitoring of UNO, DC/ADC and A2i, entrepreneurs’ regularity, efficiency and responsiveness have been ensured.
5.5 Users Service Accessibility Factors and Reality
Though users service accessibility factors are available according to the publicity, it is partial or absent in the reality. The real situation has been examined below.
5.5.1 Advertisement of UDC
It has been surveyed among 352 citizens who have been UDC or availed its services at least one time. To find these sample, we have to reach 1250 rural people. It has been seen
that most of these people (70%) have limited or no idea about UDC. Those who visited/
got services from UDC (20%), they also do not have clear information about all government services as well as its benefits. They only know about some commercial services and some UP services like birth registration (from LGSP), issuing certificate etc.
These will be clear from the following table and graph.
Chart 28: Publicity of UDC
In the above graph among the 1250 citizens have been interviewed about UDC. Among them 397 citizens have not heard about UDC, 603 citizens heard about it, but they have not been there, 175 of them, have been there but have not used its services and only 75 have been there and used its services.
5.5.2 TCV in Publicity and Reality
It is true that through UDC time, cost and visit has been reduced, which attract the users.
But in areas, there arises complain to charge more than the revenue. In birth registration there is no charge within six months without printing cost. But in reality some
397
603
175 75
NOT HEARD ABOUT UDC HEARD BUT NOT BEEN THERE
BEEN THERE BUT NOT USED ITS SERVICE
BEEN THERE AND USED ITS SERVICE