INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT: PROMOTING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PEOPLE AND NATIONS

1. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT: PROMOTING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PEOPLE AND NATIONS SIDA, STOCKHOLM MAY 5TH 2000

2. IMPACT OF ICTs ON DEVELOPMENT IN SRI LANKA:PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE PROF. V. K. SAMARANAYAKE CHAIRMAN, COUNCIL FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (CINTEC) & DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBO, SRI LANKA

3. SRI LANKA AT A GLANCE • AREA: 65,610 sq.km • LOCATION 80E 7 N • POPULATION: 18.5 million(1997) • ADULT LITERACY: 91.8% • GDP (per capita): US$760 • LIFE EXPECTANCY 72.5 years • INFANT MORTALITY 17 per 1000 /live births • LANGUAGES: SINHALESE, TAMIL, ENGLISH • ETHNIC GROUPS: • Sinhalese 74.0% Tamils 18.1% Moors 7.1% Others 0.8% • RELIGIOUS GROUPS: • Buddhists 69.3% Hindus 15.5% Muslims 7.5% • Christians 7.6% Others 0.1%

4. SRI LANKA - THE PAST • RECORDED HISTORY - 543 BC • VARIOUS INDIAN INVASIONS - • PORTUGESE INVASION - 1500 • DUTCH INVATION - 1600 • BRITISH RULE ALL CEYLON - 1815 • INDEPENDENCE - 1948 • REPUBLIC - 1972

5. THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY OF THE PAST • EMPHASIS ON KNOWLEDGE • PIRIVENA (TEMPLE) CENTRED LEARNING • SEATS OF LEARNING • MAHAVIHARA(200BC), ALUVIHARE • ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY • MIHINTALE HOSPITAL INCL SURGERY (400BC-1000AD) • IRRIGATION WORKS, LOW GRADIENT CANAL (YODA ELA), MADURU OYA DAM • SIGIRIYA ( 500AD) • BLACKSMITHS AT KOTMALE(1200AD-1500AD)

6. ICTs IN THE PAST • COMPUTERS • INSURANCE, ENGINEERING, ACCOUNTING • CENSUS OF 1971 • BANKS • UNIVERSITI ES (1967) • SCHOOLS (1983) • COMMUNICATIONS • TELEPHONE • RADIO • TV (COLOUR - 1981) • CELLULAR ( 1985 ) • WLL ( 1998) • INTERNET • E-MAIL (1993) • LEARN UNIVERSITY NETWORK (1995) • FIRST ISP (1995)

7. ICTs FOR DEVELOPMENT - THE PAST • DISTRICT COMPUTERISATION • PENSION PAYMENTS • DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME • INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT • ELECTION RESULTS • BANKS • EDI • MARINET AT PORT OF COLOMBO • STD CODE FOR SINHALA/TAMIL • ISO 10646, KEYBOARD, GLOSSARY • REVENUE COLLECTION • ELECTRICITY, WATER, TELEPHONE, RATES,TAXES

8. MAJOR IT EVENTS • FIRST COMPUTER INSTALLATION 1964 • COMPUTING TAUGHT AT UNIVERSITIES 1967 • BANKS INTRODUCE COMPUTERS 1970 • LUMP SUM DEPRECIATION FOR COMPUTERS 1977 • MICROCOMPUTERS IN EDUCATION 1980 • COMPUTERS USED FOR ELECTIONS 1982 • CINTEC ESTB. 1984 • COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPTS IN UNIVERSITIES 1985 • INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY ESTB. 1987 • IT LAW COMMITTEE 1986 • ACADEMIC NETWORK LEARN 1990 • EVIDENCE ( SP. PROV.) ACT 1995 • INTERNET INTRODUCED ON A COMMERCIAL BASIS 1995 • NATIONAL EDI COMMITTEE 1996 • IT LAW CENTRE 1997 • SL TELECOM PRIVATISED 1997 • DUTY AND TT REMOVED 1997 • IT YEAR 1998

9. THE MOBILE UNIT -ESTB. 1987CREATING IT AWARENESS TO THE “VEDDA” CHIEFTAN

10. USE OF IT IN LOCAL LANGUAGES • ISO 10646 / UNICODE STD FOR SINHALA & TAMIL • MULTI LINGUAL WEB SITES • LOCAL LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS ON INTERNET • E-MAIL AND PAGING IN SINHALA/TAMIL • WINDOWS COMPATIBLE MULTI LINGUAL PC PACKAGES • R & D IN NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING

11. THE IT INDUSTRY • LOCAL DEVELOPMENT OF S/W • TRILINGUAL PRODUCTS • PARTNERSHIPS • STOCK MARKET AUTOMATION • BODY SHOPPING • US, UK, EUROPE, SINGAPORE • OUTSOURCING • S/W DEVELOPERS FROM US AND EUROPE ( e.g. IFS) • SOUTH ASIANS ARE CONSIDERED CREATIVE - AN APTITUDE MOST SUITED FOR THE IT INDUSTRY

12. COMMUNICATIONS • SRI LANKA TELECOM PRIVATISED WITH 35% SHARE SOLD TO NTT OF JAPAN IN 1997 • TWO PRIVATE WLL PROVIDERS • FOUR CELLULAR SERVICES • FIVE PAGING SERVICES • FIVE PAY PHONE OPERATORS • NINE DATA COM SERVICES • ONE MOBILE TRUNCKING OPERATOR • SE-ME-WEE II & III AND SATELLITE LINKS • 20 ISPs SO FAR • SLT MONOPOLY ONLY ON INTL. VOICE TILL 2002

13. INTERNET • LEARN ACADEMIC NETWORK • 20 ISPs , 25,000 CONNECTIONS • CINTEC ACTS AS DOMAIN NAME REGISTRY FOR .lk • ISP ASSOCIATION TO ESTABLISH INTERNET SWITCH • E-MAIL & WEB SITES IN LOCAL LANGUAGES • CINTEC MAINTAINS NATIONAL WEB SITE • INTERNET ON THE RADIO & TV • COMMUNITY RADIO & TELE CENTRES WITH INTERNET • LIVE ELECTION RESULTS ON INTERNET & TV SIMULTANEOUSLY • EXTENSIVE USE OF MULTI MEDIA

14. THE NATIONAL PORTAL - WWW.LK

15. RADIO & TV PROGRAMS

16. NATIONALELECTION RESULTS (TRILINGUAL) LIVE TO TV & INTERNET

17. INTERNET FOR COMMUNITY RADIO - WWW.KIRANA.LK

18. AN EXAMPLE OF A NATIONAL INTEGRATED PEOPLE DATABASE • DATA INPUT AT BIRTH REGISTRATION • ISSUE OF NIC NUMBER AT BIRTH • ISSUE OF NIC AT 16 • RECORD OF MARRIAGE,DIVORCE • ISSUE OF PASSPORT • RECORD OF DEATH • OTHER USES INCLUDE HEALTH, EDUCATION ETC.

19. LEGAL INFRASTRUCTURE • IT BASED EVIDENCE (1995) • COMPUTER CRIME (2000) • DATA PROTECTION • IPR (1978, 2000) • ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE/CA (2000) • AWARENESS AMONG LEGAL PROFESSION

20. HUMAN RESOURCES • TRADITION OF HIGH PRIORITY FOR EDUCATION • AVAILABILITY OF TALENT AS SHOWN BY PERFORMANCES AT COMPETITIONS • MIS -MATCH OF MANPOWER NEEDS & SUPPLY • SKILLS CERTIFICATION • CONVERSION OF GRADUATES FROM OTHER DISCIPLINES • NEW JOB CLASSIFICATION • LOW SALARIES OF TRAINERS • NATIONAL PLAN FOR HRD IN IT

21. INFORMATICS OLYMPIADS • INTRERNATIONAL OLYMPIAD IN INFORMATICS (IOI) • 1992 FIRST YEAR OF PARTICIPATION • 1993 ONE BRONZE • 1994 ONE SILVER • 1995 ONE GOLD, ONE SILVER • 1996 ONE BRONZE • 1997 ONE SILVER, ONE BRONZE • 1998 ONE BRONZE • 1999 ONE BRONZE • SRI LANKA NATIONAL OLYMPIAD IN INFORMATICS (SLNOI) • INAUGURATED IN 1998

22. IT IN UNIVERSITIES • 13 STATE UNIVERSITIES, 8 INSTITUTES, 2 PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES • B.SC/B.ENG SP. DEGREES IN 4 • PG COURSES IN 2 & ICT • EXTERNAL DEGREE (BIT) • LEARN ACADEMIC NETWORK • SRI LANKA INTER UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON COMPUTING • R & D AND CONSULTANCY • TRAINING OF TRAINERS • THIRD COUNTRY TRAINING PROGRAM

23. THE LEARN NETWORK • ESTABLISHED IN LATE EIGHTIES FOR E-MAIL • INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN 1995 • MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE • SERVICES ALL UNIVERSITIES AND SOME R&D INSTITUTES • UNIVERSITIES PAY FOR SERVICE • SLT PROVIDES INTL. CONNECTIVITY • SUNTEL & SLT PROVIDE LOCAL CONNECTIVITY (2MB & 128K)

24. EXPLOITING IT FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT • THE USE OF IT FOR EFFICIENT ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT • THE USE OF IT FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN FINANCE, TRADE AND COMMERCE • THE CAPTURE OF PART OF THE GLOBAL SOFTWARE AND IT SERVICES MARKET • THE USE OF IT IN PROVIDING INFORMATION ON THE COUNTRY AND ITS CULTURE TO THE WORLD AT LARGE AND AS A TOOL FOR THE ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION BY ALL SECTORS OF THE POPULATION • CREATION OF AWARENESS AND AN IT CULTURE • THE USE OF IT IN ALL OTHER ASPECTS OF THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT EFFORT

25. 1998 - THE YEAR OF IT IT 2000 +

26. MESSAGE OF H.E.THE PRESIDENT “The Government of Sri Lanka has identified IT as one of the major thrust areas in our development plan. Information Technology is essential for all our development goals such as * good governance, * efficient services, * increased productivity and competitiveness in international trade and commerce, * facing up to the challenges of globalisation, * development of Sri Lanka as a commercial hub for the region, * increased value addition to our exports and * the general improvement of the quality of life of our people”

27. E-COMMERCE/BUSINESS • NATIONAL EDI COMMITTEE • MEMBER OF CEFACT/AFACT • SRI LANKA EDI NETWORK SERVICES LTD. • E-COMMERCE ACTIVITIES • CINTEC INITIATIVE FOR • CERTIFICATION AUTHORITIES • DIGITAL SIGNATURE ACT • SECURITY CONCERNS • PROMOTION OF USE OF E-C BY SME’S

28. E-GOVERNMENT • INTERCHANGE OF INFORMATION • USE OF LOCAL LANGUAGES • TRANSPARENCY THROUGH AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION • DISSEMINATION • WEB BASED PROVISION OF INFORMATION • MTC BASED ACCESS TO INFORMATION

29. E-EDUCATION • IT IN EDUCATION • IT EDUCATION • IT AS A FACILITATOR FOR LEARNING • WEB BASED LEARNING • TELECONFERENCING • DISTANCE LEARNING • INTERACTIVE MULTI MEDIA • LOCAL CONTENT

30. ICT’S FOR SOCIETY • NON FORMAL DISTANCE EDUCATION • INFORMATION ACCESS BOTH WAYS • CONTENT CREATION • MARKET INFORMATION • EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES • TELE MEDICINE • AWARENESS OF DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES • LOW COST COMMUNICATION SERVICES

31. ICTs FOR R&D • ACCESS TO R&D LITERATURE • PEER CONTACT VIA THE INTERNET • DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY FACILITATING DATA CAPTURE & PROCESSING • SHARING OF FINDINGS GLOBALLY • EXCHANGE OF EXPERIENCES • FACILITATES JOINT R&D BETWEEN REMOTE PARTNERS

32. THE NEEDS • HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT • DEVELOP LOCAL EXPERTISE • LEGAL INFRASTRUCTURE • COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE • THE THREE C’S • COORDINATION • COLLABORATION • COOPERATION • ATTITUDINAL CHANGE • INVESTMENT • IPR VS AFFORDABLE COSTS • EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE • BUILD ON EXISTING SUCCESS STORIES

33. STATE ASSISTANCE • FREE EDUCATION UPTO UNIVERSITY • FREE HEALTH SERVICES • FREE SCHOOL BOOKS & UNIFORMS • NO TAX ON PUBLIC SERVANTS • POVERTY ALEVIATION PROGRAMS • RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS • DECENTRALISED BUDGET FOR DEVELOPMENT • PRIORITY FOR IT

34. EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE • PROJECT BASED DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FROM MANY INTL & NATIONAL AGENCIES • THIRD COUNTRY TRAINING PROGRAMS • SUSTAINABILITY AFTER COMPLETION? • INTEGRATION & LOCAL EXPERTISE • NEED FOR USE OF IT • NEED TO STENGTHEN LOCAL EXPERTISE • RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT?

35. SIDA INITIATIVES • UPPSALA PHYSICS & CHEMISTRY PROJECTS • ASSISTANCE TO MAHAVELI PROJECT • SAREC RESEARCH PROJECTS/GRANTS • GRANTS TO NARESA/NSF • SIDA-IT PROJECT • REPUTATION FOR GENUINE SUPPORT

36. THE SIDA-IT PROJECT • SPLIT Ph.D.’s IN IT ( 8 FROM 4 SL UNIVERSITIES LINKED TO 4 SWEDISH UNIVERSITIES) • DEVELOP ELECTRONIC INFRASTRUCTURE IN 3 UNIVERSITIES, 1 RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND LEARN ACADEMIC NETWORK

37. www.dsv.su.se/~gds/SidaIThomepage.htm www.dsv.su.se/~gds/SidaIThomepage.htm

39. OTHER SWEDISH INITIATIVES • VOLVO • SKANSKA - KOTMALE MAHAVELI PROJECT • INDUSTRIAL & FINANCIAL SERVICES (IFS) • ERICSSON REGIONAL CENTRE • TELIA (SUNTEL) • THE LIFE ACADEMY

40. OTHER INITIATIVES • UNDP • UNESCO • BRITISH COUNCIL • JICA • CIDA • COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT • ITU • US AID • WORLD BANK

41. THE ADVANTAGES • EMPHASIS ON EDUCATION • IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY & INNOVATION • MOVE TOWARDS INTERACTIVE MULTI MEDIA • KNOWLEDGE BASED TECHNOLOGY • RE-EMERGENCE OF TRADITIONAL VALUES • COMPETITIVE COSTS • BENEFITS TO ALL • ACCEPTANCE OF ROLE OF IT BY ALL

42. CONCERNS • GAP BETWEEN HAVE’S & HAVE-NOT’S • UNEMPLOYMENT IN GENERAL • UNEMPLOYMENT OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS “TRAINED” IN IT • COMPUTER CRIME & FRAUD • RELATIVELY HIGH COST OF H/W & S/W • NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF INTERNET ETC. • DONOR POLICY

43. THE FUTURE

44. THE FUTURE • THE GLOBAL VILLAGE • THE BANGALORE DECLARATION • PARTNERSHIPS • CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE • DONOR RECEPIENT COLLABORATION • THE MODE 2 APPROACH TO R&D • NETWORKING • KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY • THE GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE INITIATIVE • ACCESS TO INFORMATION FOR ALL • UNESCO/ITU INITIATIVES • MULTI PURPOSE TELECENTRES • GOOD GOVERNANCE

45. The Bangalore Declarationon Information Technology for Developing Countries in the Global Village-1998 Information Technology presents developing countries with a historic window of opportunity that enables them to create national wealth and break the cycle of poverty and dependence they have been caught in and leverage their wealth of human resources to finally secure a rightful place for themselves in the Global Village.

46. From all perspectives humanitarian, moral, ecological, economic and social - Information Technology has the potential to elevate the quality of human life everywhere. It is imperative that we, the citizens of this Global Village, seize this historic opportunity.

47. LET US SHARE OUR KNOWLEDGE, RESOURCES, CAPABILITIES & POTENTIAL FOR A TRULY GLOBAL VILLAGE WHERE WE LIVE IN PEACE AND HARMONY AS A SINGLE WORLD COMMUNITY

49. SOME USEFULL WEB SITES • www.lk NATIONAL WEB WINDOW • www.cintec.lk CINTEC • www.cintec.lk/policy CINTEC - IT POLICY FORUM • www.ac.lk LEARN • www.ict.cmb.ac.lk ICT • www.priu.lk PRESIDENTIAL RESEARCH & INFN. UNIT • www.kirana.lk KIRANA COMMUNITY RADIO • www. csa.iisc.ernet.in/bangit/global/index.html BANGALORE ITCOM • www.globalknowledge.org THE GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE PARTNERSHIP • www.dsv.su.se/~gds/SidaIThomepage.htm SIDA-IT HOME PAGE • www.unesco.org/webworld/future UNESCO FORUM FOR IIP

50. THANK YOU sam@sam.cmb.ac.lk