Government investing NTD 2.7 billion to shrink the "digital divide" in Taiwan: CEPD

November 3, 2006

The Executive Yuan Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) said recently that the government is addressing the "digital divide" in Taiwan through a program that provides training and general access to computer technology for residents in remote and rural areas of Taiwan.

The CEPD noted that government has invested NTD 2.7 billion in the program to establish 300 "Digital Opportunity Centers" throughout remote and rural areas across the island.

A CEPD spokesperson commented that a country's "level of digitization" -- or capabilities in using digital technologies -- will be an important source of a country's competitiveness in the 21st Century, noting that the demographics of computer/Internet users in Taiwan shows a clear division in IT access between urban and rural areas. If this is discrepancy is not addressed soon, then it could become a burden on the nation's competitiveness, said the spokesperson.

According to a survey by the Executive Yuan Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission (RDEC), the three cities and counties in Taiwan with the highest percentage of "computer users" were Taichung (76.7%), Taipei (76.4%) and Hsinchu (73.4%). The areas with the highest percentages of non-users in Taiwan were Chiayi County (52.5%), Yunlin County (52.9%), Penghu (54.2%).

The cities and counties with the highest percentage of people "who use the Internet" were Taichung (72.5%), Taipei (72.2%), and Hsinchu (70%). The cities and counties with the lowest percentages were Chiayi County (48.6%), Penghu County (49.3%), and Yunlin (49.5%).

The program, which is being carried out by the Ministry of Education in conjunction with RDEC, the Council of Indigenous Peoples, and the Environmental Protection Administration, was started in 2005 and is expected to be completed by 2008.

To date, 50 centers have already been established, mainly in Changhua, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu, and a number of indigenous communities. Statistics show that 32,313 people are currently using the centers, with 7,032 persons participating in classes offered by the centers. The centers also run an after-school program, which currently serves 5,603 students.

(Central News Agency)

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