KwaZulu-Natal Premier Senzo Mchunu says his four-day official visit to Russia was a resounding success. He revealed that the Sverdlovsk Province has offered to collaborate with KwaZulu-Natal Province to develop information, communication and technology infrastructure and to train students in maths and science.
“Government is committed to create a knowledge society that will participate in the economy within the global village. So we in KZN are working as a team among departments to provide ICT and internet access to our communities.”
“Our target is to establish more than 200 ICT hubs throughout the province in the next five years. This project has been well received by the municipalities throughout KwaZulu-Natal and is the premier provincial ICT project in reducing the digital divide in our province.”
“We cannot over emphasise the importance of telecommunication facilities in rural areas considering the fact that as a result of the legacy of apartheid, many rural communities still don't have access to broadcasting and telecommunication services.”
“A World Bank study showed that 50% of information and communication technology services in Africa are concentrated in urban areas, even though less than 30% of the continent's population live in urban areas. Here in South Africa, according to Statistics South Africa, up to 43 million people in this country are living without access to technology.”
“Importantly, we established Moses Kotane Science and Technology Institute in order to bridge the digital divide. The institute is an important vehicle in our country to contribute to increasing the production of maths, science and engineering skills. It offers science, technology and leadership programmes in the areas of adult education, bridging programmes for tertiary education, utilising ICT to enhance the teaching and learning of Maths and Science, Technology Innovation and leadership programmes for parliamentarians and aspiring politicians.”
“The five-year software engineering programme at Moses Kotane trains 5000 students from KZN in Software Engineering skills. These students upon completion of their studies will undergo a one-year internship programme in ICT companies in India. This programme is a joint international project between Indian Government and KwaZulu-Natal Government.”
Enquiries:
Ndabezinhle Sibiya
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