But it would not be realistic to think that all the 150 million people of the country could be linked to the information high way. Bringing the entire public sector under the network would not be easy either. But it is easier for the private sector to digitise.
In the first phase, the government should provide the citizens easier access to its forms and documents. On line sending of applications and complaints lodging could simplify work on both the ends. University admission could be made on line except the admission tests. Wireless Internet could widen the reach.
Linking the rural people with the information highway would step up the pace of progress.
Distance cutting technology would facilitate better utilisation of scarce resources for increasing farm output, running an efficient healthcare and education system. It would increase the efficiency of utility services.
ICT can increase healthcare coverage in Bangladesh, where 51 per cent of the population get no access to it. Tele-medicine, for instance, can link healthcare centers in remote locations, through satellites, with specialised urban hospitals. It would increase access to specialist doctors, for consultation and treatment.
E-learning, a cost-effective way of providing education at a distance, could be utilised for overcoming illiteracy.
The government, the industry, NGOs and the academia could form work together to accelerate digitalisation. Together, they need to create an environment that enables the citizen. Online education could be more useful for both the Open University as well as the National University in advancing learning.
ICT application can make agriculture, the livelihood of over half the population, easier. India uses remote sensing satellites for locating irrigation projects. Some of the villages rely on the Internet for information on farm produce prices. The Indian National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) uses IT to enhance competitiveness of dairy products. ICT application can advance agriculture in Bangladesh.
ICT would facilitate efficient governance and transparency in Bangladesh. Its use would increase efficiency and reduce corruption in the utility services. E-governance reduces the interaction time for the government to reach out to the citizens. It also enables the citizens to monitor the activities of the government online. It can make planning and analysis easier. It can keep the citizens better informed about pollution levels, education opportunities, position of the utilities as well as connecting time.
With a PC density of 2.9 per 1,000 population and a tele-density of 32 fixed lines per 1,000 population, Bangladesh needs to increase communication penetration per PC. Connectivity with the rural areas has to be improved, for which wireless Internet could be a convenient option. Urban Cyber cafe and village information kiosk can enhance access to the Internet across the country.
High tariff makes both hardware and software costlier in Bangladesh, a barrier to rapid digitisation. A PC in Bangladesh costs around 12-15 months' average per-capita income compared to China's 4 months and the USA's 12 days. Lower tariff would increase affordabilities for more people.
Private companies and the NGOs can work together to enhance awareness and ICT use at the grass-roots. The NGOs can provide computer operation lessons to the rural population. They can take IT educators to rural schools to familiarise the students with the technology.
The higher education system in Bangladesh should increase the facilities for training, education and research in IT.
Simputer, developed by Indian scientists, costs less than a PC, but provides computing. Local language interface gives it an edge. Bangla language supportive applications would be more useful for many people in Bangladesh who know only one language. The option of voice application will enable the rural people to communicate using ICT.
But IT literacy is essential for the people to use the technology. Only 55 per cent of the Bangladesh population is literate. Bangladesh should spend more on IT education and ICT literacy programmes.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Syed Ahsanul Alam
Quelle/Source: The Financial Express Bangladesh, 02.02.2010
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