Public Servants Play a Vital Role
Public servants, especially heads of government institutions and Chief Innovative Officers, have a pivotal role to play in the implementation of policy statements of any government, said Inform ation and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) Chairman, Prof. P. W. Epasinhge.
The professor said so in his keynote address at the first of several national eGovernment policy workshops planned for this year, held at Water's Edge, Colombo last Thursday (18) from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
Alluding to his forte, Mathematics, Prof. Epasinghe said that while one usually cannot do anything to make the impossible possible, man has an almost infinite capacity to make great progress in the achievement of difficult goals.
The Professor said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had achieved what was considered impossible. "Before 2005, it was only the opposition that spoke about the election manifesto of the incumbent government after the election. But the current government had kept the Mahinda Chintanaya of 2005 constantly in mind and fulfilled it successfully. The Idiri Dekma was an Extension of the Chintnaya.
The Professor said that the enthusiasm of the participants in the workshop was a sure sign that they would contribute their all important share towards the execution of the government's policy statement successfully in all spheres, including ICT, with the difficult but not impossible task of making Sri Lanka reach 75% ICT literacy by 2017.
More than 170 participated in this first workshop for expediting the implementation of the cabinet approved eGovernment policy, presented by President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently.
All the participants, comprising two each from 85 government departments or statutory bodies showed avid interest in the workshops, which were well organised, with presentations that explained eGovernment policy in a clear and practical manner. The duo from each orgaisation consisted of the Head of the Institution and its Chief Innovative Officer.
The feedback indicated that about 98 per cent of the participants had graded the workshop as excellent. The presentations were interspersed with very short reality and motivational shows, practical exercises and team games that inspired even the most wearied person at the session. The participants were fired with enthusiasm and a desire to implement the eGovernment policy, overcoming any obstacles on the way.
The goal of the organisers of the workshop was to expose the participants to motivational phrases and sayings, shown at the interludes of reality shows, like "Nothing is impossible, only the will is needed", "A combination of focus and team work can achieve much", " Doing a task smartly yet imbued with the tenacity of average athletes who became world champions by strenuous practice." These were to ensure that the participants practised team work, perseverance and did things smart.
Speaking about the nine remaining workshops planned, a senior ICTA official said that these will be attended by personnel including secretaries of miinistries, district secretaries and divisional secretaries in government institutions.
Referring to the importance of these workshops, ICTA Chief Operating Officer Reshan Dewapura said "These workshops target key personnel in government Institutions, and will play a pivotal role in ensuring adherence to eGovernment policy and to consistency in government institutions. The consistent adoption of the policy which these workshops promote will go a long way in bringing the benefits of ICT to the people."
FT Insight
The Professor said that the enthusiasm of the participants in the workshop was a sure sign that they would contribute their all important share towards the execution of the government's policy statement successfully in all spheres, including ICT, with the difficult but not impossible task of making Sri Lanka reach 75% ICT literacy by 2017.
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