Tunis 18th November 2005 – Inspired by the enthusiasm of UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan and the positive reception of the general public for the $100 laptop per child concept introduced by UNDP, the International Commission on Workforce Development (ICWFD) announced today that a basic computer literacy course worth over US$ 300 will be given FREE with every laptop distributed in the G77 developing countries.
The basic computer literacy course a component of CLAP (Computer Literacy Achievement Program) is a high-end course intended for those fearful of or left behind by the social, gender and digital divide and is a comprehensive and interactive introduction to computers and the Internet for the complete novice. While the $100 Laptop is being planned for the year 2006, this FREE course is available right now in English and Hindi and is currently being translated into various other languages. It will be provided FREE to any government education or IT ministry or civil society organization interested in deploying it.
The International Commission on Workforce Development is US based non-profit organization that recommends policies, strategies and solutions that will enable the workforce of G77 Developing Countries to compete in the current and future global economy together with the UN ICT Taskforce.
"Everyone takes Information Technology for granted because it's such a major part of our society now, but imagine not having the education or the ability to access computers," said Dr. Asad Ullah Shah, Chairman & CEO of ICWFD. "Thanks to CLAP, now everyone everywhere regardless of status, education, gender, age or ability can learn computers and for FREE”.
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WSIS SUMMIT TUNIS 2005.
Dr. Marcel A. Boisard
Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations.
Dr. Asad U. Shah
Chairman & CEO ICWFD.
Sadaf Shah
Director Strategic Alliances ICWFD.
Mr. Sarbuland Khan
Director ECOSOC & Executive Coordinator of the UN ICT Taskforce. |
