It's time mothers learn

This is in response to Zatni Arbi's article, Plenty of choices in IT education in RI, March 22, 1998.

I, too, was thinking all along what would a computer education do for housewives. For me, a computer was just a typewriter with some add-on features.

Recently, I had the good opportunity to get some preliminary training in the End-User course at YPIP-NIIT, Jakarta. I can now confidently say that "computer" is no longer an intimidating word to me. In fact, I should admit that NIIT has opened up great sources of knowledge. A Pentium computer with Windows, Office 97 and Internet facilities is like a treasure house waiting to be exploited.

A computer is a wonderful tool if we know how to tap in and make the best use of it. A housewife can also organize and manage information for keeping track of all tasks through the use of Microsoft Outlook software.

Avatar", as we understand from Hindu mythology, refers to God's incarnation in the world. I was indeed surprised to find that Avatar" has been used in the context of computers, meaning a graphical representation of a person that appears on the computer screen.

Java is not only an island in Indonesia but also a programming language used in the computer world!

In modern times, it's not sufficient to be just a good mother, which, of course, most of us are. We really need to upgrade ourselves to be "intelligent" mothers. Among the various choices, computer education is certainly useful to equip ourselves to guide our children in their studies.

At least there is no more of the "Mummy doesn't know" look on their faces!

C. VASANTHA

Jakarta