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Information Communication Technology (ICT)
ICT in Dire Dawa
Dire Dawa Administrative Council is undergoing differnet capacity building
activities amoung these Dire Dawa High School is givining Internet training and
Basic computer traininigs to the civil servant and teachers.
@
ICT News
DPPC launches, Information Center, ICT project
Addis Abanba, April 5 , 2004 (ENA)
The Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission (DPPC) launched an
Information Center and Information Communication Technology (ICT) modernization
project on Monday with a view to
filling the information gap that exist within humanitarian partners.
Speaking at the launching ceremony here on Monday, DPPC Commissioner Simon
Mechale said lack of information has
limited the capacities of humanitarian agencies, donors, and UN families in
responding to emergencies quickly and
sufficiently.
Emergency responses should be fast, adequate and comprehensive, he said, adding
that timely and reliable
information is required to meet these requirements.
Country representative and director of WFP, Georgia Shaver said the opening of
the information center would help
reduce duplication of efforts since people looking for information would come
here instead of knocking WFPfs door.
Shaver said the information center would help humanitarian stakeholders to
improve the conditions for food-insecure
people in the country through the provision of reliable information.
DPPC press release said the information center, that has a well-developed DPPC
website, was established in Feb 2003
with 700,000 US dollars secured from the various donor agencies.
The ICT project, due to go operational soon, aims at connecting regional and
woreda branches of DPPC using video
satellite (VSAT), it said.
The center and modernization project would enable DPPC to coordinate and manage
food and non-food emergency aid, it
said.
Establishment of IT Laboratories for 550 preparatory schools underway
Bahirdar, June 16,2004 (WIC)
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is reportedly establishing
Information
Technology (IT) laboratories for 550 preparatory schools throughout the country
at a cost of three million US
dollars.
Information Technology Program Manager with UNDP, Sirak Gebreyohannes told WIC
at the inauguration of a tele center
here at Mulualem Cultural Center yesterday that the laboratories would enable
the provision of education via
satellite.
He said UNESCO, USAID, World Bank and the Japanese government as well as
Embassies are providing financial support
for the establishment of the laboratories being constructed in collaboration
with the Ministries of Education and
Capacity Building.
Indicating the good well of donors to give 7 million dollars assistance, he
stated that efforts are being speeded
up to fully provide all the schools with IT by 2005.
According to him, 400 computers are so far distributed and training on the
utilization of the technology is given
for 3,000 teachers and woreda office representatives
The establishment of the laboratories is also significant to enhance the School
Net program launched nation wide,
he said.
With the view to helping the business community, the youth, women and the other
sectors of the society, tele
centers that would acquaint the public with information technology were
established at a cost of 100,000 dollars in
Bahirdar, Addis Ababa, Mojjo, Lalibela and Assebot towns, he added.
Representatives of the UNDP, UNESCO and the Amhara Youth, Culture and Sport
Bureau were present at the inaugural
ceremony of the tele-center.
ICT Professionals urge better use of indigenous languages on PCs
Addis Ababa, July 4,2004 (WIC)
Professionals of Information Communications Technology (ICT) said that due
consideration should be given to the use of indigenous languages in the sector.
At a two-day workshop held in Alem Cinema hall, some professionals said that the
use of indigenous languages,
including Amharic, is very low even if the use of internet, mobile phones and
open source softwares is on the
increase.
They attribute the problem to lack of due respect to the languages and cultures
of the country.
Kitaw Yayehyirad, Manager of Cyber-Ethiopia Initiative, who stated that most
computer programmes do not have
Ethiopian content, insisted that this should be corrected urgently.
Representative of Microsoft, Moges Desalegn, on his part, added that the windows
of our PCs should be able to use
indigenous creativity, whether we like it or not. Failing to do so would expose
us to cultural and language
invasion, he warned.
ICT club founder and President of Menelik Secondary School, Girma Mitiku noted
that the spread of ICT among
students and educators has highly benefited them.
He urged schools and Ministries of Education and Capacity Building, in
cooperation with Telecommunications
Corporation and the Addis Ababa Education Bureau, to break the vicious and
monotonous circle of teaching and
learning process and narrow the wide gap of information.
Int'l Symposium on Education, Application of ICT concluded
Addis Ababa, 10/21/2004 - ENA -
The application of information communication technology (ICT) in developing
countries like Ethiopia would be
crucial to addressing social, economic and development issues, the Ethiopian
Telecommunications said.
Speaking at the conclusion here on Thursday of a three-day symposium, ETC
general manager Tesfaye Birru said ICT
education and application would be vital to expedite development in developing
countries like Ethiopia.
The International Symposium was held on the theme: "ICT Education and
Application in Developing Countries."
Tesfaye indicated the need to forge strong partnerships with countries advanced
in ICT with a view to sharing their
experiences in the sector.
Director of the Graduate School of Telecommunication and Information Training
Postgraduate School (GSTIT) under the
ETC, Dr. Nega Alemayeho on his part said the symposium was the beginning of a
"long and tough" journey in making
ICT a partner for growth in the developing world in general and Ethiopia in
particular.
The symposium is part of the activities of the Graduate School Project Office of
ETC. "We believe that such forums
will be organized regularly to let professionals, people in the government and
the private sector share
experiences, innovative ways of doing and also explore challenges and
opportunities," he said.
The symposium, according to Dr. Nega, "...unleashed the unprecedented
opportunities ICT offers to developing
countries like Ethiopia and the difficulties and challenges they are bound to
face as well as in the course of
capitalizing on such opportunities...."
The issue of regulatory and policy framework, infrastructure development, strong
management backbone for ICT,
modalities of access to information and education, e-education opportunities and
challenges, local content
development, the impact of culture, among others, were the focal areas of
discussion.
GSTIT in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
organized the symposium.
Experts from China, USA, Sweden, Germany, Spain and South Africa attended the
symposium. In attendance of the
symposium were also pertinent bodies from regional States.
Somali State introduces ICT to improve quality of education
Jijjiga, October 14 , 2004 (WIC)
Somali State Education Bureau Head, Ahmed Ragie said that the information
and
communication technology (ICT) recently introduced to the educational system of
the State would help improve the
quality of education.
Ahmed told WIC yesterday that students in 16 senior secondary schools are now
receiving education supported by ICT,
following the finalization of installation of satellite dish, network and plasma
television sets in the schools
since last year.
Discussions are well underway with the Ministry of Education to employ the
technology in the remaining five
secondary schools, he said, adding that the technology would enable children of
pastoralists to acquire similar
education.
He said 133 plasma television sets and 14 generators have been installed in the
16 schools and professionals were
trained in Japan and India to locally manage the technology.
The Deputy Head said additional generators would be purchased to address problem
of electric power and the schools
would be equipped with all necessary human and material resources.
The awareness of the people of the State about the importance of education is
also increasing, he said.
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All ICT news are send from "Rudolf Schoppmann" who lives in Germany and very interested in ICT activities going on in DIRE DAWA and ETHIOPIA.