The Great P
New Member
- Jan 7, 2024
- 2
- 0
It is clear that we all agree that the growth of ICT in the world has contributed to the advancement of development and the simplification of life globally.
This is one of the indicators for economically developed countries, where the level of ICT development is high, and we see many countries in Europe, America, and Asia, as well as a few countries in Africa like South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, and Nigeria.
It is an undeniable truth that Information and Communication Technology directly contributes in various ways to the advancement of development within the respective countries, as ICT has made a significant impact in the social, political, educational, and economic fields.
In our country, Tanzania, the use of Information and Communication Technology has been rapidly increasing and simplifying various activities in society, business, and politics. Some of the benefits are as follows:
It has facilitated communication between people in different areas regardless of distance, thus reducing the cost of living.
It has improved access to various information from ministries, institutions, and government authorities such as TRA, NHIF, NIDA, and NSSF, through websites.
It has enhanced the delivery of education in schools and universities, for example, the use of projectors in teaching and the initiation of online course systems.
It has improved payment systems, enabling electronic payments anywhere, whether for government or non-government payments.
It has improved access to information in financial markets, agricultural markets, mining markets, and stock markets.
It has enhanced business advertising for both private and government institutions, thus acting as a major driver of digital businesses.
It has facilitated transparency and accountability in various government activities, including the National Assembly and various ministries.
Given the numerous benefits, as a citizen, I raise my voice for the government to advise or provide feedback on further investment in the growth of the ICT sector in the country to keep up with the pace of global advancements in social, political, and economic development.
How to Develop the ICT Sector in the Country
To succeed in developing this sector, we must recognize that this is a long-term, costly plan that requires strategies and careful management, involving the government in collaboration with stakeholders in this sector for successful development.
I have tried to explain and suggest three (3) key areas that can contribute and push forward the ICT sector in the country:
1. Improvement of ICT Education in Schools
To promote the ICT sector, we must lay a solid foundation for the education of future generations, ensuring the availability of a favorable environment for ICT education in schools.
Thus, the government must improve these environments in three key ways:
Preparation of a quality ICT curriculum for primary and secondary schools. The government, through the Ministry of Education, must prepare an ICT curriculum and receive feedback and suggestions from various education stakeholders to develop a curriculum aimed at promoting ICT education in the country. The preparation of a good curriculum will ensure a solid foundation for students in computer networks, computer usage, and cybersecurity, which are the core of ICT. This will help cultivate a generation of ICT professionals.
Improvement of ICT infrastructure in schools. It is true that ICT is taught across the country, but the infrastructure is not supportive, such as the shortage of qualified ICT teachers, lack of textbooks, and the absence of practical equipment like computers in many schools. Therefore, the government must have long-term plans, including preparing adequate budgets to ensure the provision of training to create ICT professionals, publishing textbooks in both Kiswahili and English to ease reading for students, and ensuring the presence of computer labs for practical learning to increase the effectiveness of ICT teaching in schools. This will reduce the focus on theoretical learning that does not provide a solid foundation for students to understand.
Increasing the number of secondary schools that offer specialized programs in Physics, Advanced Mathematics, and Computer Science (PMC). To achieve the goals of promoting ICT in the country, the government must increase the number of upper secondary schools offering specialized programs in Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science (PMC). This will help prepare students with a solid foundation in science and technology before they proceed to university, where they will specialize according to the courses they choose.
2. The Government Should Sustain and Value Collaboration and Empowerment for Individuals, Institutions, and Organizations in the Development of ICT
It is clear that individuals, institutions such as universities, and international organizations have been key stakeholders in the development of the ICT sector in the country. They have been at the forefront of research and innovation of various digital services and programs in our country, contributing significantly to simplifying the lives of citizens. Therefore, the government must recognize and value their presence by establishing good policies and regulations that will grant them freedom in their activities. It should also create favorable digital infrastructure and financial resources such as loans and grants for their research and innovation to help boost the ICT sector in the country.
3. Effective Implementation and Improvement of ICT Policies
Good policies serve as the roadmap for any developmental ambition. Thus, I remind the government that it must be fully responsible for fulfilling its obligations according to the 2016 ICT policy in order to achieve the goals of ICT development in the country. Furthermore, by collaborating with various ICT stakeholders, including individuals and private organizations, the government must receive feedback and suggestions from stakeholders to continuously improve the ICT policy to keep pace with the rapid growth of this sector globally.
This is one of the indicators for economically developed countries, where the level of ICT development is high, and we see many countries in Europe, America, and Asia, as well as a few countries in Africa like South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, and Nigeria.
It is an undeniable truth that Information and Communication Technology directly contributes in various ways to the advancement of development within the respective countries, as ICT has made a significant impact in the social, political, educational, and economic fields.
In our country, Tanzania, the use of Information and Communication Technology has been rapidly increasing and simplifying various activities in society, business, and politics. Some of the benefits are as follows:
It has facilitated communication between people in different areas regardless of distance, thus reducing the cost of living.
It has improved access to various information from ministries, institutions, and government authorities such as TRA, NHIF, NIDA, and NSSF, through websites.
It has enhanced the delivery of education in schools and universities, for example, the use of projectors in teaching and the initiation of online course systems.
It has improved payment systems, enabling electronic payments anywhere, whether for government or non-government payments.
It has improved access to information in financial markets, agricultural markets, mining markets, and stock markets.
It has enhanced business advertising for both private and government institutions, thus acting as a major driver of digital businesses.
It has facilitated transparency and accountability in various government activities, including the National Assembly and various ministries.
Given the numerous benefits, as a citizen, I raise my voice for the government to advise or provide feedback on further investment in the growth of the ICT sector in the country to keep up with the pace of global advancements in social, political, and economic development.
How to Develop the ICT Sector in the Country
To succeed in developing this sector, we must recognize that this is a long-term, costly plan that requires strategies and careful management, involving the government in collaboration with stakeholders in this sector for successful development.
I have tried to explain and suggest three (3) key areas that can contribute and push forward the ICT sector in the country:
1. Improvement of ICT Education in Schools
To promote the ICT sector, we must lay a solid foundation for the education of future generations, ensuring the availability of a favorable environment for ICT education in schools.
Thus, the government must improve these environments in three key ways:
Preparation of a quality ICT curriculum for primary and secondary schools. The government, through the Ministry of Education, must prepare an ICT curriculum and receive feedback and suggestions from various education stakeholders to develop a curriculum aimed at promoting ICT education in the country. The preparation of a good curriculum will ensure a solid foundation for students in computer networks, computer usage, and cybersecurity, which are the core of ICT. This will help cultivate a generation of ICT professionals.
Improvement of ICT infrastructure in schools. It is true that ICT is taught across the country, but the infrastructure is not supportive, such as the shortage of qualified ICT teachers, lack of textbooks, and the absence of practical equipment like computers in many schools. Therefore, the government must have long-term plans, including preparing adequate budgets to ensure the provision of training to create ICT professionals, publishing textbooks in both Kiswahili and English to ease reading for students, and ensuring the presence of computer labs for practical learning to increase the effectiveness of ICT teaching in schools. This will reduce the focus on theoretical learning that does not provide a solid foundation for students to understand.
Increasing the number of secondary schools that offer specialized programs in Physics, Advanced Mathematics, and Computer Science (PMC). To achieve the goals of promoting ICT in the country, the government must increase the number of upper secondary schools offering specialized programs in Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science (PMC). This will help prepare students with a solid foundation in science and technology before they proceed to university, where they will specialize according to the courses they choose.
2. The Government Should Sustain and Value Collaboration and Empowerment for Individuals, Institutions, and Organizations in the Development of ICT
It is clear that individuals, institutions such as universities, and international organizations have been key stakeholders in the development of the ICT sector in the country. They have been at the forefront of research and innovation of various digital services and programs in our country, contributing significantly to simplifying the lives of citizens. Therefore, the government must recognize and value their presence by establishing good policies and regulations that will grant them freedom in their activities. It should also create favorable digital infrastructure and financial resources such as loans and grants for their research and innovation to help boost the ICT sector in the country.
3. Effective Implementation and Improvement of ICT Policies
Good policies serve as the roadmap for any developmental ambition. Thus, I remind the government that it must be fully responsible for fulfilling its obligations according to the 2016 ICT policy in order to achieve the goals of ICT development in the country. Furthermore, by collaborating with various ICT stakeholders, including individuals and private organizations, the government must receive feedback and suggestions from stakeholders to continuously improve the ICT policy to keep pace with the rapid growth of this sector globally.
Upvote
0