Sir Puka stresses importance of ICT

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By HELEN TARAWA
MINISTER for Bougainville Affairs Sir Puka Temu says universities and tertiary institutions should extend outwards to advance information and communication technology (ICT) in rural settings.
He said it would be more important for them to reach out if there were teaching programmes or advancing ICT in rural areas.
“Those students and lecturers must participate in the delivery of programmes of appropriate technology,” Sir Puka told Parliament on Friday.
“I strongly suggest that Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Nick Kuman ensure universities consider this.
“The universities with their wealth of knowledge and intensity and the depth of many of the subjects that are appropriate to the development of our country can contribute while being students at universities.
“I would request the Minister for Communication to consider the ICT; it is on us and I believe in the principle of one laptop per child.
“If all our teachers and children have ICT knowledge through this United Nations sanctioned strategy of one laptop per child, I don’t think it is expensive it can be delivered.”
Sir Puka said knowledge of computers was confined in urban institutions but because ICT has not covered the entire country, the rural communities are penalised.
“I strongly recommend that one of the top priorities consistent with the last government priority of extending the coverage of power to 70 per cent of the country.
“I think with the infrastructure that is coming, Sydney cable, our commitment has to be to cover the country with ICT infrastructure and make it cheaper so that our teachers can be computer literate and our children through one laptop per child policy can be computer literate.
“That is the global trend now. Computer literacy is the most important foundation of any citizen of any nation to progress.
“We must make a commitment to ensure that every child and every teacher is computer literate.
“There are different types of computers, laptops and phones that our children can access.
“We must not deny our children this opportunity so I humbly request that we progress this further in a big way,” Sir Puka said.