Assessment of using the Information and Communication Technology in Rural Management by Rural Managers (Dehyars) Case Study: Galoogah and Behshahr; Mazandaran Province

Remarkable progress in Information Technology (IT) sector is changing the face of the world. The importance of IT in economic prosperity on the one hand and the role it can play in facilitating the processes and procedures on the other cannot be underestimated. Meanwhile, a sort of digital gap can be seen not only between the developed countries and the underdeveloped ones, but also between urban and rural areas. It is believed that there is an outstanding potential in IT sector which can be exploited if rural administrators intend to bridge this gap. Other parameters which can have an outstanding contribution to a sustainable rural development are the presence of infrastructure like broadband Internet and training courses for rural administrators. Of course the significance of IT should not be limited to the benefits that can be gained in access to the Internet which can be regarded as a sort of oversimplification of the matter. In fact, the core concept here can be the capability of rural administrators in using software applications in different aspects of rural life such as: planning, physical and socio-cultural development of the villages, quality and quantity of the services which are offered to rural settlers and stakeholders and above all the pace of offering such services in the shortest time possible. It is also thought that if the IT usage could be done in an effective way, it could serve as a driving force for rural development and planning. Regretfully, it is an area which has rarely been regarded and supported by policy makers at the regional and national level which necessitates more attention to this sector. From another viewpoint, the rural settlers are required to be equipped with the new skills be leaned know how to deal with the increasing problems they encounter everyday. The continuous and rapid changing of scientific progress makes their skills and knowledge seem obsolete and impractical; and therefore it is necessary for them to revive and update their knowledge and skills to adapt themselves to radical changes happening around them. Since the sustainable rural development is globally knowledge-based, managing a sustainable rural development in our country should follow the same approach. Investment in knowledge-based foundations in villages including preparing the ground for the expansion of IT can help the rural societies to play a great role, not only in national arenas, but also in international ones too.