Top priority to meet 2005 vision ..HL: ..IN: CM BA.

(From New Straits Times (Malaysia))

WITH the year 2005 nearing, Selangor is pushing ahead with development in all sectors especially in information technology to achieve its aim of becoming a developed State by then.

One of the more immediate agendas for the State is to ensure that an information and communications technology literate society is in place by 2005.

To achieve this, it needs to raise the computer literacy level in the rural areas to 50 per cent but the level currently stands at about 20 per cent, compared to between 70 and 80 per cent in the urban areas.

In order to bridge this glaring digital gap, the State Government has embarked on a project to equip districts with ICT centres to encourage the respective communities to use computers at an early age.

Sixty four ICT centres have been established to date and of that, 46 are situated in rural areas.

Village heads are also being given three-month training course on the use of the computer.

To ensure that computer awareness is instilled …