Measures are under way, in the meantime, to tackle two major impediments confronting the campaign — institutional bottlenecks and shortage of skilled manpower. Also, an ‘eOman Awareness Road Show’, which visited all the region's of the country from May 17 last year to February 17, 2007, is poised for its second stage soon that will be “more intensive and interactive.”
“The government of the Sultanate is fully aware of the importance of utilising information and communication technology to establish a digital society,” Dr Salim bin Sultan Al Ruzeiqi, Chief Executive of the Information Technology Authority (ITA), said in Muscat on Saturday.
He was speaking at a ceremony to mark WIS Day, attended by key officials from the government and private sectors. Secretary-general of the National Economy Ministry and Chairman of ITA Mohammed bin Nasser Al Khusaibi was the guest of honour.
The theme of the day this year is, ‘Empower Every Citizen With ICT Skills’. Ruzeiqi said under its ‘Digital Literacy Training Programme’ initiated in coordination with the Ministry of Civil Service, 400 employees of four ministries in Muscat, Nizwa and Sohar had already been trained. “This pilot was launched as part of ITA's national IT training and awareness initiative which aims to provide digital literacy training and bridge digital divide. ITA is preparing to launch the second phase of the pilot programme to train all members of the community in training centres all over the Sultanate,” he added.
The plan is to eventually cover all the 108,000 civil service employees in the country. Ruzeiqi listed institutional restrains and lack of adequately trained and qualified manpower as two main factors that could have an ‘adverse impact’ on the drive to create a digital society. “However, the government, through ITA, is sparing no effort to overcome such obstacles to move towards a ‘Digital Oman’,” he stressed. Yesterday’s function included an overview of the 2006-07 eOman Awareness Road Show that toured all the seven regions of the country, beginning in Muscat and travelling to Sohar, Ibri, Nizwa, Khasab, Buraimi and Sur. It provided the two touring teams of men and women, which closely collaborated with the Omani Women's Associations, with an opportunity to "interact with the average citizen, children, women and business sector,” Tufool Al Dhahab, Marketing and Awareness Specialist at ITA, said.
The road show, she explained, aimed at narrowing the digital divide and promoting the eOman brand and e-government initiatives and e-lifestyle. The response from the public was overwhelming, she added, with everyone showing a keen interest in learning more about the new concept. Some of the challenges the campaign faced were the limited number of computers, low IT literacy level and lack of ICT infrastructure. Recommendations for improvement include drawing up a more efficient programme, increasing ICT access, customising awareness programme demographically, organising evening ICT sessions in coordination with government bodies and exploring higher levels of ICT learning for universities. “The second phase of the road show,” Tufool said, “will be a more intensive, interactive campaign.”
Autor(en)/Author(s): Ravindra Nath
Quelle/Source: Khaleej Times, 21.05.2007
