Weekly news roundup - Asia, 23 January, 2008

Iran envisages to set up 2,500 rural ICT bureaus

The fourth economic plan of Iran envisages to set up 2,500 more rural ICT bureaus across the country. According to the Ministry of Information & Communication Technology (ICT), till 21st December, 2007 more than 5,000 rural ICT bureaus were set up in the country.

Philippines opts for the ICT roadmap

Philippines government and private sector agencies recently forged an agreement for a do-able ICT roadmap. Three ICT institutions – the Department of Trade and Industry - Regional Operations Group (DTI-ROG), the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) – signed the agreement. Under the agreement, the DTI-ROG will coordinate with the local government units and the regional administrative bodies in promoting strategic alliances with foreign investors, balancing investments between high-growth and economically depressed areas, and broadening private sector participation in ICT development. The CICT will provide technical assistance and facilitate the development and use of the ICT scorecard. It will also lead the development of a regional ICT scorecard in partnership with BPAP that will allow benchmarking of cyber-readiness in cities/regions being considered by prospective investors. The Business Processing Association of the Philippines, as a private sector partner, will provide industry inputs to be considered in the development of the ICT industry strategic plans of the regions.

Quarter million panchayats in India to be computersied

The Expert Committee on Information Technology for Panchayati Raj, Government of India submitted its recommendations to the Minister of Panchayati Raj, Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar. Panchayati Raj is the third tier of governance in India. The ‘Panchayati Raj’ refers to the functioning of a decentralised, local elected governance body. The report recommends use of information and communication technologies as an integral part of multi-mode training and capacity building. The Committee has given extensive recommendation on hardware and system software, application software, open standards, connectivity, domain specific Data and Meta Data Standards, capacity building, adoption of National Panchayati Portals (NPP), and facility management. Introduction of ICT at Panchayat level will not only allow experimentation with the technology but will also give immense opportunity to the people to handle technology.

UNESCO to launch ICT guidelines/standards to improve education

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) showcased its guidelines for teachers to use ICT skills in improving education quality worldwide. The guidelines were released at a conference for young minds in London, England. UNESCO has developed the guidelines in cooperation with Cisco, Intel and Microsoft, as well as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). The ICT Competency Standards for Teachers have been designed to help educational policy-makers and curriculum developers identify the skills needed by teachers to harness technology in the service of education.

HCL unveils the future of personal computing

HCL Infosystems Ltd., India's premier information enabler and country's leading ICT system integrator and distribution company launched ‘MiLeap’ India’s first full functional, ultra portable range of laptops that offer true mobile Internet computing experience at a price point starting from Indian Rupees (INR)13,990/-. The new range of Laptops are sleek and light- weight, yet offers a full PC functionality with Internet and the product would be a gift to the telecentre community.

Contact Name: Vignesh

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