‘e-technology’ programme can help bridge gap between ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ - Science and Technology Minister

Rohan MATHES

COLOMBO: Science and Technoloy Minister Tissa Vitharana observed that in an era where the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is rising by the day despite the advent of technology, the e-technology programme of the ICTA would penetrate into the village to bridge the parity.

Minister Vitharana made this observation when he presided at the ‘News Goes Digital’-Certificate awarding Ceremony of ‘e-journalists 2007, at the World Trade Centre in Colombo last Thursday.

Thirty fulltime journalists joined the fore of Sri Lanka’s e-Journalist community following the receipt of their certificates and awards for their achievements under the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) e-Journalists training programme. The participants had been selected through a national-level screening process.

Minister Vitharana further said that albeit Sri Lanka could boast of a very high literacy rate in the South Asian region, nonetheless, are comparatively far behind in the e-literacy rate where it is in the order of about 10 per cent.

Lauding the achievements of the ICTA in this sphere to date, Vitharana opined that the ICTA would be able to play a more formidable role in taking e-technology to the village to the betterment of the living standards there, as envisioned in the ‘Mahinda Chintanaya’.

Referring to the ICTA e-Journalists esteemed programme ICTA Chairman Prof. V.K. Samaranayaka said, “we have given these journalists an all-round training on ICT and how they could improve their journalistic skills through the use of new technologies. The e-Sri Lanka initiative aims at improving the lives of all citizens through the use and development of ICT and this is just one aspect of it”.

ICTA Head of Communications Athula Pushpakumara said that they have to date, trained fifty journalists. They have received insight into various ICT tools that could be used in the media for international publishing platforms as well as for receiving up-to-date news from various sources.

Their training also included the benefits of ICT usage in their work, while they also focussed on how they could enhance their reporting skills and thereby cater better to their audience.

AFP Bureau Chief Amal Jayasinghe, ICTA Director Reshan Dewapura, e-Journlists of Sri Lanka President Nihal Kiriella and many recipients of the Certificates and Awards also spoke.