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Hong Kong
Press
Women’s Summit Discusses Digital Divide
By Stephanie Sim
(IDG) – While the number of women going online
is increasing in the Asia-Pacific region, efforts are still needed to promote
greater Internet awareness, especially among housewives and the older
generation, a panel of women technologists at a worldwide forum said.
The Global Summit of women, held in Hong Kong
on Friday, touched on electronic commerce and digital divide issues that
included education, government intervention, and available technologies that
would help more women to get online,.
"The Philippine government has set up
telecenters where citizens in remote areas can use the Internet," said Cecile
Reyes Philippine assistant secreta5ry for information technology, Department of
Transportation and Communications. She said that there are some areas without
even telephone service, so "going online" is a foreign concept.
Telecenters, which were set up to create
awareness and educate rural Filipinos on the Internet, are centers where phone,
fax, and computers are available. They are also equipped with learning tools,
such as CD-ROMs, which can teach about the Internet and the simple use of
computers, she said.
Since most women in the Philippines stay home
and tend to their families, they are inevitably left out of the technology loop
for lack of exposure to it. However, with new legislation, Reyes hopes that over
time, things will change.
A "10-to-1 ratio" telecommunications law in
the Philippines dictates that for every 10 provinces in which telecommunications
companies build infrastructure, they are required to equip one non-revenue
generating area with basic telecommunications infrastructure, Reyes said.
In Hong Kong, where Internet and mobile phone
penetration rates are among the highest in the world, getting people online has
not posed much of a problem. However, housewives and the older generation remain
a concern for the Hong Kong government, said Secretary for Hong Kong’s
Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau, Carrie Yau.
"We’ve installed Cyber Points in libraries,
Post offices, and other public facilities so that those without computers at
home will still have an opportunity to access the Internet," Yau said, adding
that there is no room for complacency, even for a territory with high Internet
penetration rates. "The fundamentals (of our IT strategy) are to start form the
homes and schools."
Similarly, Reyes said that the Philippines
needs to put up strong knowledge development programs, starting with schools.
"The reality is that the students are more knowledgeable than the teachers (in
IT)," she said, adding that the Philippines has half a million teachers, most of
whom are women and not well-versed in the Internet.
On the enterprise level, Reyes said that many
women from small-and medium-size enterprises face problems such as high cost of
IT infrastructure in bringing their companies online. She suggested that these
companies should look to more cost efficient methods of doing business online,
such as using application service providers as a cheaper alternative.
The Internet continues to play a critical role
within the Philippine government, minimizing corruption and streamlining
processes, said Reyes. "E-procurement for the government is done over the
Internet, and this allows bidders to participate in a very transparent bidding
process, "she said.
Other issues discussed at the summit include
making interfaces easier and more user-friendly, to include even the illiterate
into the Internet fold. "Installing hardware is only the first step," said Yau.
"There also needs to be training, and interesting applications for first-timers
as an incentive for them to go online."
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