Schools
to have ICT facilities earlier The Borneo Post - Wednesday, 4 September, 2002 |
Back to index |
KUALA
LUMPUR: The Energy, Communications and Multimedia Ministry is looking into
budget requirements to push forward the target of providing information
and communication technology (ICT) connections to all rural schools from
2005 to a much earlier date, its Minister Datuk Amar Leo Moggie said
yesterday. He
said this was necessary as the government wanted ICT to play a prominent
role in teaching science and mathematics in English by next year. For
that to happen, schools will have to be connected as part and parcel of
the whole process. "The
rural areas will continue to be a challenge in technology and investments
because they require heavy expenses. "That
is why we are now looking at the budget requirements for the government
and the industry to provide the infrastructure," he said at a media
conference after opening Malaysia ICT Week 2002 (MILT 2002) at the Mines
Exhibition Centre here. Moggie
said the requirements of rural schools to access ICT may differ because
some may only need a telephone line while others may need more
infrastructure facilities. Earlier,
Moggie said Malaysia will continue to enhance rural communications by
leveraging on new technologies, particularly wireless technologies, as one
of the strategies that have to be adopted. "This
is in line with the renewed interest of industry players towards using
wireless-based technology networks as a practical solution to reach out to
the market due to their competitive advantages such as shorter lead time
to deploy and cost effectiveness," he added. Moggie
said the policy has enabled the government to stimulate private sector
initiatives to provide appropriate levels and mix of technologies in the
provisioning of infrastructure in the country. He
said Malaysia's mobile service penetration rate is currently ranked 35th,
which is one and two notches behind that of the United States and Canada
respectively. "With
such policy objectives and availability of new wireless technologies as a
cost-effective alternative to the fixed-line service, the overall
penetration rate in rural areas is expected to change for the
better," he noted. Moggie
also said Malaysia's level of ICT adoption is among the highest in the
Asean countries, based on the total number of Internet customers at
approximately 2.4 million or a penetration rate of 11 for every 100
population. On
MICT 2002, he hoped that it would be able to enhance the economy and
community based on information, or the k-economy and k-community, while
bridging the digital gap through innovative ICT, e-commerce and multimedia
solutions. MICT
2002, starting yesterday through to Sept 7, comprised the National
E-Commerce Expo that incorporates the MSC Expo and Asean Communications
and Multimedia Expo at the Mines, and the Multimedia Asia Expo and Forum
at Putra World Trade Centre. - Bernama ![]() SOPHISTICATED ... Moggie (centre) tries out a telecommunication product at the opening of Malaysia ICT Week yesterday. - Bernama photo |