IT skills key to Digital Bangladesh

Materialisation of the dream for a digital Bangladesh depends on embracing computer technology, said State Minister for Science and ICT Yeafesh Osman yesterday.
He called on teachers and students in villages all over the country to embrace the Internet technology to materialise the dream.
The state minister was speaking as chief guest at the computer distribution ceremony at IDB Bhaban in the city.
He pledged that the government will establish free computer laboratories in 128 schools across the country.
Yeafesh said the support of the schoolteachers is needed to make the Internet revolution a success.
“If we are to succeed and stand among the 10 most advanced nations of the world, we must equip our youngsters with the knowledge of digital technology. The teachers have a major role to play here,” he added.
At the ceremony, free computers equipped with Internet modems were handed over to 49 schools located in different villages throughout the country under the Digital Education Programme of Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS).
BCS President Mustafa Jabbar called on the school headmasters to ensure that their teachers and staffs become computer literate within the next year.
“It is not possible to educate the students about computers with just one computer in one school, but you can make your staffs computer literate, and manage all school records digitally with that computer,” he said.
He also promised to provide free school and library management software to the schools.
The computers that were handed over to school heads were provided by Index IT Limited. A number of computer desks, accessories, IPS and cash endorsements were also provided by a host of other private organisations.
Grameenphone Limited provided Internet modems and SIM cards to equip the computers with Internet connectivity.
Communications Secretary (Bridges Division) Md Zahid, Chief of Grameenphone Limited Corporate Affairs Ishtiaq Hussen Chowdhury, Index IT Managing Director Aziz Rahman and BCS Treasurer Shahedul Munir also spoke on the occasion.