Bangladesh Telecentre Network (BTN), A coalition of 21 Bangladeshi NGOs, starts an ambitious project to setting up 40 thousand telecentres across the country. It is the largest event for ICT4D in Bangladesh. Theme o this programme is ‘Mission 2011: Building a Sustainable Information and Knowledge System for the Poor and Marginalized’. The BTN is determined to build country-wide sustainable information and knowledge system for the poor by the member organizations by the 40th anniversary of the country’s independence. Mission 2011 is also facilitating the grassroots level telecentre practitioners in overcoming a number of critical challenges originating from their field level works.
Telecentre is a public place where people can have access to computers, internet and other technologies. It will help community members in different ways like learning and developing skill, creating local content and capturing local knowledge, creating economic activities, providing access to physicians and other distant professionals, overcoming isolation, bridging the digital divide and reaching out to the youth.
Telecentre exists in almost every country although they sometimes go by different names like village knowledge centre, info centre, community technology centre, community multimedia centre, information kiosk. In Bangladesh, telecentre are called Community Multimedia Centre, Community Information Centre, Rural Knowledge Centre and so on.
After completing the telecentre project it will play a noticeable role in minimizing the digital divide. It will join most of Poor’s and villagers of Bangladesh with ICT.
Chief Adviser of the Caretaker government of Bangladesh Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed have launched the telecentre project on December 6 at Bangladesh China Friendship Convention Centre (BCFCC) in Dhaka.
In the context of information technology telecentre is a place for citizens who can access computer with Internet and other tools of info-tech for their required information. In addition, such places can provide them first hand knowledge on the application of ICTs. Now telecentre is one of the buzzwords in the world and every country is heading for the centre, which is also known as infocentres, community technology centers, community multimedia centers, information kiosks, school-based telecentres or Pallitathya Kendra, etcetera.
Photo : collected.