More than 100,000 Bhutanese were trained under the Chiphen Rigpel project so far.
This was announced at an event marking the project’s fourth year yesterday.
Chiphen Rigpel is a project designed to help Bhutanese society transition to an IT-enabled knowledge society.
Funded by the Indian government, it was launched in 2010. The Nu 2.05B project is scheduled to end next year.
The project has six components of bringing information communications technology (ICT) to schools, empowering teachers, enhancing employability, enabling e-governance, reaching the unreached and managing e-waste.
In the first component, project officials said more than 95,000 school students received an IT education since 2010. The project ensured that all students who complete secondary education in the country were “fully” IT literate, with a strong foundation of IT skills.
Besides providing IT training, educational tools that enable simulated science experiments, exploration of mathematical concepts and learning of geography have been given to each school.
ICT learning centres, it was said had been established in 168 government secondary schools.
Project officials also said the students were examined on their skills twice a year and that 96 percent passed, while the average mark was 82 percent.
Coming to empowering teachers, more than 5,200 teachers were trained and seven teacher-training centres established.
The training program provided teachers with IT skills to help them integrate ICT in teaching and learning process.
In ensuring all youth entering the job market acquired the necessary IT skills, 16 IT learning centres were established to enhance their employability.
The centres were established in colleges, technical training institutes, Royal Institute of Managment, and the Youth Development Fund. Over 19,000 youth have been certified through these centres.
More than 7,300 civil servants, including 300 monks, were trained and seven e-governance training centres established under the enabling e-governance aspect.
In efforts to bridge the digital divide, 131 playground learning stations were established under Reaching the Unreached project.
On e-waste, workshops and surveys have been carried out to develop rules and regulations and a guide manual for national e-waste management.
Speaking at the event, NIIT chairman Rajendra S Pawar said the project was now in transition. The government chose NIIT, an Indian company, to implement the project.
He said it was important to now take stock of the project’s impact. While quantitative targets were met, the qualitative impact of the project needed to be closely studied.
Speaking at the event, Indian ambassador VP Haran said the project was an “outstanding example of cooperation between India and Bhutan”.
He said the project brought together India’s strengths in IT with the needs and resources of Bhutan.
However, the ambassador also pointed out issues that needed to be addressed. He said some the playground learning stations were underused given their locations and he suggested they be relocated to schools.
He also said some IT learning centres that NIIT established lacked internet access and that it required addressing.
Information and communications minister DN Dhungyel explained they were exploring relocation of underused playground learning stations.
He said the Chiphen Rigpel project had benefitted all sections of Bhutanese society.
He said the country was committed to providing ICT not as a facility, but as a right to the people.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Gyalsten K Dorji
Quelle/Source: Kuensel, Buhutan's National Newspaper, 16.05.2014
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