In the history of civilization,
no work of science and technology had so comprehensive impact
on the course of human development as Information Technology (IT).
Nothing has influenced human civilization as IT in modern times
has, changing almost all aspects of human activity like communication,
trade, culture, education, entertainment, research, information
and knowledge. The advent of IT, which particularly unfolded in
the last three decades, is vastly extending men's intellectual
power inviting a paradigm shift in how we live in this world.
Only universal literacy and high standard of education can enable
people to gather skills to be employed. IT decreases isolation
and the divide between the people in rural and urban areas. IT
enables the realization of knowledge-based society where every
citizen can participate in governance for socio-economic development.
Nepal, which has missed the agriculture and industrial revolution
due to historical reasons, can re-cover the lost time and opportunities
with IT revolution. For this, Nepal needs a national policy with
a national vision, specific goals and strategies to achieve these
goals. To achieve these goals, Nepal's effort should be directed
towards capacity building in IT.
Human capital in the information age
In a resource scarce country like Nepal, though unskilled, human
resource is the key asset for economic prosperity in the information
age. IT enables Nepal to achieve the goal of being a prosperous
and self-reliant nation. The need of acquiring knowledge about
IT is more important to modernize her infrastructure, survive
the new economy and compete internationally in this millennium.
IT industry is growing rapidly in the world and is estimated to
grow further. The global IT industry is estimated to be US$ 50
trillion in year 2008. This means that there will be a worldwide
demand of IT manpower in coming years. Dearth of IT professionals
especially in the developed countries suggest that we should exploit
this opportunity of fulfilling the need. Availability of IT professionals
in Nepal may also encourage foreign investment. Nepal's IT strategy
should not only focus on the requirement of the country but should
try to capitalize the requirement of IT companies abroad.
Universalization of IT literacy:
The basic building block of IT industry is the skilled and
semi-skilled manpower. IT industry that can cater both internal
and external markets need a large number of such manpower which
basically come from three levels of education viz. secondary schools,
higher education and training. The present scenario is 200 IT
graduates in bachelor level per year. By the ratio, less than
4000 IT graduates by 2003 AD is not sufficient even for the local
IT industry. Though the private training sector is producing a
large number of semi-skilled manpower, Nepal is yet to see mass
production of high-end professionals.
The aspirations of ever increasing number of students opting for
higher IT education can only be met by increasing the existing
intake capacity or through establishments of dedicated institutes
of learning. The new institute should be able to cater to doctorate
level research in this field.
The initiatives of the government (to make Nepal 100% literate
by 2020 AD) should also include compulsory computer education
for all so that Nepal will be a 100% computer literate country
at least within this time frame. For this a national campaign
"sabaiko lagi computer shikchya" should be launched
in the partnership of private sector as well as international
donor agencies.
A national educational network "Rastriya Vidhya Merudanda"
should be instituted based on modern communication technology
by which activities of all the HRD (Human Resource Development)
institutions are integrated. For this, a joint venture of the
government and industry should be launched. The center node of
the network should be an educational information pool "Edu-Pool"
(Vidhya Srot Kendra). This should be able to provide all sorts
of information related to IT education.
IT - Fund
One of the major components of the good governance is the
promotion of conducive environment for local as well as foreign
capital investment in different sectors. At present, there is
no FDI in IT sector, and local businesses have not invested in
it. Thus, the people who have IT skills have no funds and people
with funds are elsewhere.
Therefore entrepreneurs should be offered special financial packages
to set up IT educational facilities. IT HRD training and education
should be declared as the service industry, providing facilities
enjoyed by the service industry. There should be tax exempt for
IT HRD institutions and companies for at least five years. Multinational
IT HRD companies should be invited to open facilities in Nepal.
For this, if necessary, promotional activities may be organized
in different countries with the help of Nepali missions abroad
to bring investment by Non Resident Nepalese (NRN) as well as
multinational IT companies.
To meet the need of immediate fund raising program for IT HRD,
banks and financial institutions should be instructed to float
special bonds "Edu-cash" (Vidhya Dhan) to raise capital
for investment in IT education and training. This fund should
be made available to IT HRD institutions as well as to students
opting for IT education on low interest rates.
A model agency for the digital age
The successful adoption of IT as a major force for the human
resource development depends on real-time strategic planning and
the implementation of various initiatives in a co-ordinated and
rational way at the national level. It is therefore recommended
that a national level IT body, say National Information Technology
Board, under the Chairmanship of the Chief Executive of the country
is constituted. For executing the policies, an autonomous and
independent body, say National Centre for Information Technology
(NaCIT), should be formed whose chief executive officer must represent
the private sector. Leading the way in information age by creating
linkages and networks with all the stakeholders the agency should
be faster, flatter and functional. It should ensure that IT strategy
evolves in tandem with changes in education, technology and society
and promote opportunities for all Nepalese to benefit from the
information technology revolution by ensuring access for all to
existing and future education system.
Professional bodies such as Computer Association of Nepal, Society
of Electronics and Communication Engineers of Nepal, Nepal Internet
Users' Group, Information Technology Professional Forum etc should
be invited to play an active role in collaboration with industry
in the process of evolving professional ethics and standards in
IT HRD. Employers' organizations like Federation of Nepalese Chambers
of Commerce and Industry, Hotel Association of Nepal, etc should
also be involved in maintaining quality of the output of HRD institutions.
Last but not least, it is true that the investment made in education
do not yield immediate observable dividends but balancing investment
in IT HRD with other pressing demands is the key issue to be addressed.
It is not only the responsibility of the government but every
stakeholder has a role to play for better IT for better Nepal.
The private sector must play a leading role whereas government
should support in the background as a facilitator.
The area of information technology is developing so rapidly that
it has been difficult to predict what is unfolding next. Whatever
it may be, Nepal must be prepared to accept the challenges of
the rapid advancement of IT and try to use it for national development.
We should realize that mere introduction of IT will not help the
Nepalese society. Though the impact of IT revolution through out
the world can't be argued, IT is not an end in itself but a means
to bring prosperity in modern times. |