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| Friday, 25 June 2004 |
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by Nadira Gunatilleke The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Sri Lanka together with Kwansei Gakuen University in Japan, has embarked on a new scheme under its volunteer deployment modality to attach the University's undergraduates for development work in Sri Lanka, a UNDP spokeswoman said. She said that this scheme is facilitated by the United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS), which is a new and global volunteer program led by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV), initiated in recognition of ICT's critical role in global human development. UNITeS will be replicated in other parts of South Asia and in developing countries, following the success of its pilot phase in Sri Lanka. Through this initiative three undergraduates specialising in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) are serving the ICT Training Centre of the Malamulla Bauddha Balamandalaya (MBBM) in Panadura, in its efforts at developing e-education and on-line learning with overall emphasis on human resource development through ICT. Their targets include the promotion of cost-effective and user friendly information technology and communication solutions to facilitate distance learning and education, promotion of home study through packages, developing of automated translation to access and understand information in different languages - Sinhala, Tamil and English and the promotion of the use of virtual and computer simulation in education. The three Japanese undergraduate volunteers identified for their ICT background, community and volunteer service record, as well as their ability and willingness to work in rural communities in developing countries will help the community in and around Malamulla to develop their ICT skills. UNITeS volunteers held bridge the digital divide through their skills and time, enhancing equality of opportunity worldwide and coordinate a global network of universities that share a common interest towards this end. Students and academic staff of UNITeS partner universities contribute knowledge and skills to select projects and help build up capacity of individual organisations on the application of ICT to various complement research with social action. |
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