Free wi-fi at all education institutions by 2021

All the education institutions across the country will be brought under free wi-fi connection by 2021, said State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak yesterday.

“We are going to launch free wi-fi at 37 public universities within a shortest possible time to make the students competence in world-standard ICT,” he further said while launching wi-fi connection at Rajshahi College yesterday as chief guest.

Among others concerned, college Principal Prof Habibur Rahman was present at the launching ceremony on the campus.

Palak said in addition to the public universities more than 1.7 lakh educational institutions including primary schools will be brought under optical fiber minimum broadband connection by 2021.

He said the youth forces have already started building a digital Bangladesh through their learning and earning activities as the present government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is extending all support towards them so that they could build themselves as ICT-based income-generators.

He added that the government is extending all-out support to impart IT and basic computer literacy to 14,000 students under the ICT Division and its “Learning and Earning Development Project” aiming to earn money from online outsourcing.

The government is implementing the programme across the country to create opportunities for earning foreign currency through online outsourcing. “Freelancing is an extremely prospective sector worldwide and now it is getting popularity in our country,” he added.

He told the meeting that “Bangabandhu Silicon City” is going to be established there within the next 36 months with a view to achieving a set of specific missions and visions of establishing a world class business environment for targeted high growth industrial sector and new business. Around 14,000 youths will get job there.

BSS from Natore adds, Palak yesterday said youths should be educated on ICT to build an economically advanced country.

“We have to turn young generation into competent workforce through imparting IT skills as they are future leader of Bangladesh,” he said at a programme at Nawab Siraj-Ud-Doulah Government College, Natore.

Palak said the internet penetration has increased significantly in the past eight years as the number of internet users is 4.30 crore now against 10 lakh in 2009. The government has set a target to reach 70 percent internet penetration to boost its efforts to build a digital Bangladesh by 2021, he added.

Palak said, “The ICT sector made remarkable progress in the past couple of years as we formulated effective and time-befitting policy initiatives as well as took steps for infrastructural development aiming to make Bangladesh a technologically advantaged country.” Leaders of Natore district unit of Awami League and officials of local administration, among others, were present at the function with principal of the college Prof MH Khaled in the chair.