Internet connections benefit impoverished
Because the internet is expected to play an increasingly important role in China’s poverty-alleviation campaign, connectivity to the internet has been deemed essential for poorer areas of the country, according to an IT industry insider.
Li Zheng, rotating president and chief financial officer of WiFi Master Key, made the remarks in a speech at a forum themed “Sharing internet dividends for poverty alleviation”, as part of the 4th World Internet Conference, a three-day event held recently in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province.
At the forum, WiFi Master Key vowed to help multiple primary schools in Shanyang county of Shaanxi province, getting them connected to internet by building infrastructure.
Previously, the company has helped connect primary schools in more than 1,000 poverty-stricken villages across the country.
“Poor infrastructure in the areas has been resulting in a shortage of highly qualified teachers,” Li said.
“Connectivity to the internet is expected to help the students enjoy better education from online sources,” said Li, whose company’s smartphone application, Wifi Master Key, is enjoyed by more than 900 million users across the world.
“The young students are the hope for the future of the areas, and they deserve to have a chance for better education to improve their lives,” said Liu Xinzhi, senior vice-president of the company.
The infrastructure construction is merely one of several efforts made by the company for poverty alleviation.
“Based on its big data analysis technology, the company has also been helping the poverty-stricken villagers in certain areas by sending advertisement of their agricultural products to the most suitable customers across the country,” Li said.
“Given that an increasing number of poverty-stricken people have learned how to use a smartphone to connect to the internet, we can send targeted information, including agricultural knowledge and employment information,” Li said.