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Four initiatives to boost nation’s ICT industry. |
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Tuesday, 21 August 2007 |
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KUALA LUMPUR, 21 Aug (The Star) -- The country’s information communication technology industry has been given another boost with the launch of four new initiatives to enable Malaysia to compete in the global technology-led environment.
The initiatives – the Malaysia Animation Creative Content Centre, CyberSecurity Malaysia, KnowledgeGRID Malaysia and eContent Fund Awards – are also expected to help reduce what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has described as “digital poverty”.
The setting-up of the Malaysia Animation Creative Content Centre is aimed at accelerating the development of the local digital content industry, which has seen exceptional growth and demand over recent years.
CyberSecurity Malaysia is the result of the rebranding of the National ICT Security and Emergency Response Centre, to reflect the services and solutions the organisation provides for its clients and the public.
KnowledgeGRID is for providing a national infrastructure that maximises high performance computing resources to accelerate research and industrial development.
The eContent Fund Awards are aimed at enhancing the nation’s content development industry, mainly for entertainment, training and learning, as well as culture and heritage.
Abdullah, who earlier chaired the National Information Technology Council Meeting, ordered for a more concerted effort to be made so that Malaysians would not be deprived of ICT facilities, including the Internet.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis said the Prime Minister had touched on issues pertaining to ICT, to ensure it would continue to be a main player in nation-building.
“The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of developing the ICT curriculum and facilities in schools to ensure all young Malaysians are IT and technology-savvy.
“The National Education Blueprint, which is being formulated by the Education Ministry, will integrate ICT and technopreneurship to ensure Malaysians can face world economic transformation,” he said.
Jamaluddin said that while society was eager to embrace change and development, the “side effects” of technology were being looked into, to ensure information that was easily obtained through the world of ICT would not have a negative impact on cultural and religious values. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 18 January 2008 )
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