07th March 2006
e-Sri Lanka PC project of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) was showcased at LinuxAsia2006 Conference at New Delhi, India. The objective of the e-Sri Lanka PC program is to increase the number of households with PCs in order to improve the ICT literacy of the country.
Although Sri Lanka has witnessed a rapid growth in the industry in the recent past, PC penetration and usage are still at a less than satisfactory rate. A study done by the Department of Census and Statistics in 2004 revealed that only 4% of households possessed a PC at home. Based on the same study, computer literacy was 10% and the awareness of Internet too was very low with only 3% of households using the internet at that time. Government has targeted to raise the ICT literacy to 60% within a period of three years. Through the e-Sri Lanka PC project ICTA is planning to implement a regional promotional program highlighting the benefits of having a PC at home. ICTA’s approach and the project design were highly commended by the open source community that attended the conference.
Linux Asia is Asia’s premier Open Source Conference and the 3-day conference included topical sessions and forums along with technology workshops, networking events and special programs. Keynotes and sessions were presented by international experts and panels. Large number of professionals, government officials and undergraduates participated in the event.
ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), an agency under the President’s Office, is the apex body for ICT policy and direction in Sri Lanka. With a vision to harness ICT as a lever for economic and social advancement by taking the dividends of ICT to every village, to every citizen and to every business, it is engaged in a number of pioneering initiatives the e-Sri Lanka PC project being one of them.
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