-----Forwarded Message----- From: Andy Oram <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Techdev] UN trains Afghan government staff on Linux Date: 21 Jul 2003 17:54:15 -0400
(Reprinted from comp.os.linux.announce) Kabul, Afghanistan, 10 July 2003: The first class of Afghan civil servants trained in LINUX operating systems returned to work this week after completing their 10-day certification course in the use of this important software application. The 11 newly trained technical staff from various Afghan Ministries now have the high-level skills necessary to manage and maintain computer networks and provide services, which until now have been largely dependent on external contractors and consultants. This training is part of a series of technical computer courses supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). These courses help to fill the technical void in the country, which suffers from a shortage of computer experts. Afghanistan was largely cut off from much of the high-tech transformation of the global community that occurred over the past two decades. "This training is very important for the future of Afghanistan and its role in the international arena for development," said Mr. Peer Mohamad Bariyali, a graduate of the course who works at the Afghanistan Ministry of Communication. "We have been without resources for many years and we didn't have access to this type of advance operating system. This training and hopefully more advanced training will enable us to become more sufficient, effective and reliable. Also this will transfer to other departments like medicine, and to schools throughout the country." Afghans who attended the training course came from the Ministry of Communications, Afghanistan Aid Coordination Authority, Ministry of Reconstruction, Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As technical staff, they are responsible for the management and maintenance of computer networks. Their new skills will help to relieve dependence on outside experts for computer support. "These courses are an example of our IT work in helping to narrow the skills gap that isolates Afghanistan from the rest of the world's economy," says Ercan Murat, Country director for UNDP Afghanistan. "The benefits of this training and understanding the software are many. Practically, we can see them being able to offer newer services in their work places and also able to implement advanced network services," says Gaurab Raj Upadhaya, who is an internet analyst, and is one of the UNDP-supported trainers for the Linux course. "Linux is an open-source operating system and software which will save a lot of money for Afghans. It also enables them to tinker and toy with the operating system, as it also comes with the underlying Linux Source code that makes the program. In future, it may allow them to develop their own version of Linux in a local language. Another benefit would be the ability to think out of the box - as they will be able to know about choices that exist in Operating systems," says Mr Upadhaya. The Linux course, and a Web Site training which has begun this week, are part of the larger UNDP programme in conjunction with the Afghanistan Aid Coordination Authority to help build skills within key ministries for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. UNDP helps countries draw on expertise and best practices from around the world to develop strategies that expand access to ICT and harness it for development. Working in 166 countries, UNDP also relies on ICT solutions to make the most effective use of its own global network For more information please contact: In Kabul, Atia Jeewa or Marc Lepage Tel: (93) 070279520 [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _____________________________ Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) is the oldest non-profit, mass membership organization working on social impacts of computer technology. To learn more, go to http://www.cpsr.org To join, use http://cpsr.org/membership __________________ techdev mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://ssl.cpsr.org/mailman/listinfo/techdev _______________________________________________ ilugd mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd
