Creating New Leaders for eCulture

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Creating New Leaders for e-Culture

• Dr. Louis Galea
• Minister of Education - Malta

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Small is Good, Small is Smart.

• size is no more the determining factor for
  those developing countries who are determined to
  foster success through their proper niche in
  todays market.

ITUs drive to offer a platform for partnership
in the telecommunications development sector is
reaping dividends...
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The Vision for Malta

• Information Technology is a powerful tool for
  attaining efficient service and providing an
  on-line government service to people within their
  own homes and in the community.

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Materialising the Vision

• In the early 90s the vision is enshrined in the
  Governments National Strategy for Information
  Technology for Malta.
  
• Over the past three years, the Maltese Government
  has intensified its commitment.
  
• Maltas IT architecture and infrastructure places
  the Government in a very strong position to
  attain Information Age Governance.

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Universal Community Service

• 1997 Thessaloniki Conference - Universal
  Community Service
  
• The majority of worlds population is completely
  shut out of the digital revolution and its
  promises
  
• 90 of the C and D sectors in European society
  risk becoming have-nots
  
• 50 of the worlds population still has to make
  its first telephone call

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Universal Community Service

• The four-year 1998 Valletta Action Plan Bridging
  the Digital Divide
  
• Four of the six points of the Valletta action
  plan adopted by the G8 Okinawa Summit.

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Charachteristics of a healthy e-society

• Universal Access to e-Tools
• Universal Access to Quality Content
• Freedom of Information
• Privacy and Data Protection
• Respect for Intellectual Property Rights

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Evolving e-Culture Scenarios in Malta

• e-Learning
• e-Health
• e-Commerce
• e-Government

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e-Learning

• Are educational, training and research programmes
  in fact developing the right milieu for
  e-Cultures and e-Governance?
  

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e-Learning

• Malta is addressing the various issues within a
  comprehensive review of the educational system at
  all levels
  
• Going back to basics - ensure that no child lacks
  the basic literacy and numeracy and ICT skills by
  the end of primary school.
  
• 2000-2005 Strategic Plan for the implementation
  of the National Curriculum Creating the Future
  Together

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e-Learning

• Primary Education (Ages 6-11)
• Each primary class equipped with a minimum of 4
  multimedia computers
  
• All primary teachers have a laptop computer
• Pupil to computer ratio is 71

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e-Learning

• Secondary Education (Ages 11-16)
• All secondary schools equipped with computer
  laboratories
  
• European Computer Driving Licence
• Teachers trained to teach through ICT
• Computer studies in all secondary schools

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e-Learning

• Tertiary and Vocational Sectors
• The University of Malta provides a wide range of
  courses related to computer and IT Science
  
• Malta College for Arts Science and Technology
  offering various diplomas designed to equip
  students with the necessary knowledge

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e-Learning

• The Internet in Schools Project
• Government has embarked on a three-year project
  to provide a fast and efficient internet
  connection in all schools in Malta
  
• Every student will have an e-mail address and
  web-space for the creation of personalised
  websites

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e-Learning

• ITU-GTU-Maltacom Training College
• ITU/GTU/GTTI pilot projects of the Human
  Resources Development Division of the ITU based
  on distance learning
  
• first inter-regional node in Malta in partnership
  with the Maltacom Training College
  
• Maltacom Training College agreement with Cable
  Wireless
  
• Malta to participate in AVICENNA, a EUMEDIS
  programme piloted by UNESCO

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e-Health

• Establishing a National telematics infrastructure
  
  
• Exchange of health information amongst primary
  and secondary health care providers
  
• Video-conferencing for family doctors between the
  two islands
  
• Video-conferencing course in health management
  between Malta and Italy

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e-Health

• Information available on websites accessible from
  our main acute general hospital
  
• New Hospital being developed with new e-health
  paradigm in mind
  

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e-Commerce

• Malta must become an information economy
• macro driven approach vs piecemeal approach
• Four fundamental principles
• legislative framework balancing trust, privacy
  and security against the personalisation of
  electronic services
  
• enabling growth through a predictable and stable
  regulatory framework
  
• liberalisation of the telecommunications sector
• Malta must become an information society

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e-Government

• After e-Commerce and e-Business the next
  Internet revolution will be e-government
  
• The Economist 24th June 2001
• e-Society brings with it a new milieu of values,
  culture, behaviour, work patterns and
  organisational design
  
• The real challenge is whether we are ready to
  change the way we do things...

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e-Government

• Fundamental principles underpinning Governments
  vision for e-Government
  

• 24-hour 7-day provision of services with easy and
  fast access
  
• Services to be inclusive - non discriminating
• Cost to be at worst neutral but should aim to
  realise financial savings
  
• services must guarantee privacy and integrity in
  its use

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e-Government

• E-Malta Commission as
• Catalyst
• National office
• Strategic direction
• Macro manager
• for the transformation of Malta into an
  Information society and Information Economy

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e-Government

• Public-Private Partnership
• Government has requested for strategic partners
  for the e-Government initiative
  
• 58 companies under 16 consortia including
  prestigious multinationals have expressed an
  interest

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Final thoughts

• In 1992 Malta was the first country to have a
  100 digital telecommunications service
  
• Malta had graduated into the ranks of the
  telecommunications developed economies. In the
  past it was a recipient of technical assistance
  but today it is in a position to be itself a
  provider of help
• ITU Telecommunications Development Report 1994

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Final thoughts

• it took the telephone 75 years to reach 50
  million users the world wide web achieved the
  same feat in only four years

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Final thoughts

• In anticipation of the
• 2002 ITUs World Development Conference, Turkey
• 2002 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, Morocco
• 2003 World Summit on the Information Society,
  Geneva

one must evaluate the international dialogue that
is taking place and propose world-wide approaches
aimed at narrowing the digital divide
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Thank you

• www.education.gov.mt