The Singapore government plans to get three-quarters of all senior citizens aged 55 years and above to gain access to the internet within two years.And it is spending S$2.5 million to do so.
Children and the disabled will also benefit under the InfoComm Development Authority (IDA)'s plans.
When it comes to IT, age is just a numbers game.
With the pervasive use of the internet today, 56-year-old Lim Khng Geok didn't want to be left behind.
She signed up for IT courses at the Silver Infocomm Junction at the Retired & Senior Volunteer Programme office in Bishan to learn how to use the computer, internet and other IT-related products.
And she's already found that a whole world of possibilities awaits her.
She said "They teach me how to go to ebay and make register and go to prepay and then how to use the credit card to pay the money and take the money."
The government aims to get more senior citizens on board the IT bandwagon through its Silver Infocomm Junction.
It is part of a 3-year Silver Infocomm Initiative under the Intelligent Nation 2015 masterplan, where more than 30,000 senior citizens will be equipped with digital skills and knowledge.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister, said: "Only 25 percent of senior citizens are currently using the internet which is way too low. So I've said well ok over the next 2 years we are going to roll out these centres and hopefully you get a cascading effect and one person teaches 2 or 3, each of them in turn becomes an ambassador and we can quickly upscale the number of citizens who know how to use this technology."
From learning how to use the computer to surfing the internet, senior citizens can go to the Silver Infocomm Junction to be technologically savvy.
Now this is the first of such hubs, with seven more expected to be up and running within the next three years.
Besides the elderly, Dr Balakrishnan said children and the disabled will also be helped to get connected.
IDA is extending its NEU PC programme, which has helped to equip 24,000 needy households with a computer bundle, to introduce an extra mile of financial support called iNSPIRE Fund.
This will help children under the programme who are still unable to co-pay the subsidised computer and broadband bundle of S$285.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "We will tell these children that it will still not be free because if it's free they won't appreciate it but if you perform community service, do something useful for others or work with VWOs or do some significant service, we will give you credits and you can exchange those credits for a S$285 voucher which will then give you computer and internet access."
IDA's iNSPIRE Fund will be administered by the Children's Society.
And by the middle of next year, Dr Balakrishnan says an Infocomm Accessibility Centre to train the disabled will be up and running.
Housed within the premise of the Society for the Physically Disabled, it aims to train some 4,000 people with disabilities over the next three years to help them increase their self independence and expand their job prospects.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "We need to focus on education, access customising, tailoring the technologies and equipment available because each disabled person will have slightly different needs, slightly different opportunities. In this case the focus is on employment prospects which means making sure they have enough infocomm skills to help them compensate or overcome the disability and seek jobs. We are making a commitment that in Singapore there will be no digital divide. Nobody will be left behind because of a lack of opportunities to use infocomm technology."
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/313497/1/.html
Any one in Indian Government listening ????????? We should provide this to all Senior citizens and Childrens in India.
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
No comments:
Post a Comment