66,000 now benefit from internet ready computers
Public Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes, recently disclosed that the EGovernment Unit has been quite busy this year, particularly in poor, remote, hinterland areas.
She said that the Unit has installed receivers and internetready computers in 14 communities. Hughes said, too, that community ICT hubs have been set up in Good Hope, Charity, Dartmouth, Bagotville, Buxton, Better Hope, Beterverwagting, Lusignan, Sophia, Trafalgar Union, Port Mourant, Liverpool, Sandvoort, and Vryman’s Erven. The Minister of Public Telecommunications said that there are now more than 66,000 residents in these communities who have access to the worldwide web at community hubs. She said, “With this initiative, our Technicians are doing three things simultaneously; they’re installing internet-ready equipment in community centers; they’re training community leaders and children in the use of the internet and they are installing more receivers to connect the computer laboratories in secondary schools.” Up to November, Hughes said that the Unit had connected over 120 schools on the coastland and in the hinterland. The Minister said, “Actually, the secondary schools connection programme was put on a fast track to ensure that our children could meet the CXC’s new rule that requires all candidates to submit their SBA assignments online. “So, we’re not wasting any time. Giving our children and teachers a proper framework for a rounded high quality education is much too important.” Minister Hughes said there is another element to the community connectivity programme. She said that very shortly, the first three tech support units will be set up in the Regional Democratic Councils compounds in Anna Regina, Linden and New Amsterdam. She said that the technicians assigned to those units will be the “First Response teams” equipped to fix minor problems, and they will refer the major problems with the community systems and teachers’ laptop computers to their head office. Minister Hughes also revealed the implementation plan for 2017. Hughes said that $1.58 Billion is budgeted for investment in E-Government initiatives. Of that, she said that an estimated $114 million is allocated for the provision of public Internet access at over 600 Government buildings across the country.
(Kaieteurnews.com)