Govt starts computer literacy program

Govt starts computer literacy program

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam, Riau

The government launched here on Saturday a student computer
literacy program aimed at introducing information technology to
schools nationwide.

Called the One School One Computer Lab (OSOL), the program was
opened by State Minister of Communications and Information
Syamsul Mu'arif as part of Indonesia compliance with a United
Nations declaration, which seeks to create a technology-based
global communication society by 2015.

Indonesia has no choice but to improve its human resources to
stay in touch with the rest of the world in terms of information
technology, Syamsul said.

The country, he added, still lagged behind in communication
technology, let alone information technology, as reflected by the
fact that it only had between seven and eight million registered
fixed telephone lines. Indonesia is home to over 214 million
people, the world's fourth most populated country.

"Transfer of data remains a future goal, as many people here
do not have telephones. Therefore, we will start with students
and will introduce them to information technology as early as
possible," Syamsul said.

Also attending the launch at the SMK I vocational high school
in Batu Aji district was Minister of National Education Abdul
Malik Fajar.

The national program has targeted Batam for its pilot project,
with the support of American software giant Microsoft.

Syamsul said the program would involve all stakeholders in the
education, finance, infrastructure and Internet service sectors.
Both central and regional governments are to work together to
provide each school with a computer laboratory and enable
students to learn how to use computers in class.

Malik expressed hope that students could use the facilities
provided in the computer labs to improve their literacy in
information technology.

"I am sad to see computers functioning only as a typewriter or
a play station. We know there are many more benefits to be had
from a computer," Malik said.

Microsoft is supporting the program by providing discount
software to prevent the use of pirated products. Each software
program costs US$2.5 for the OSOL.

Batam Deputy Mayor Asman Abnur, representing the local
administration, welcomed the national program and expected that
eventually, there would be one computer for every student.

"I look to Singapore and the U.S., where students only bring
their diskettes to school, as there are enough computers to go
around. Hopefully, the same thing could happen here and in
Indonesia," he said.