Digital Bangladesh and ICT development

ICT is the backbone of any digital initiative. ICT covers the vast area of information technology, communication technology and of course the telecommunication technology; categorically processing of information and ensuring connectivity.

Again it is mentionable that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina dreamed for a Digital Bangladesh. Without ICT sector development the dream of a Digital Bangladesh would be only a dream for the total nation. One thing must be mentioned that ICT is only a technology, a technology or a machine could not be functional with out a person behind. Philosophically convinced persons are the driving force in establishing an idea in to society and state.

Digital Bangladesh is an Idea that includes the IT use for management, administration and governance to ensure transparency, accountability and answerability at all levels of society and state.

ICT is also a combination of physical backbone and intellect. Computer Systems, Network Machineries, Software, Wire and Wireless Connectivity Systems, Broadcast Hardware and many other Hardware and Accessories are the physical backbone. The trained human behind the backbone are the intellect. To materialize the idea of digital Bangladesh, development of countrywide backbone and expected number of human recourses are the basic needs. On the other hand, while mass people are concern, availability, accessibility and affordability must be ensured; otherwise the objective of building a digital Bangladesh could not be achieved properly.

Building of a country wide IT backbone is essential for a digital Bangladesh. There is a happy feeling that by government owned Telephone Company, Private Mobile Operators, Railway Communication System, Active Internet Service Providers total Bangladesh is already under a digital network. By a small initiative an adequate Nationwide IT backbone could be developed. In this case only government could not be sufficient. Public-Private partnership could be the ideal endeavor.

Primarily rural IT hub could be developed in each Union Porishad office, which will ensure everyday information of the locality to the Upazill, Zilla, and Division and to the central government. This nationwide connectivity system development should be considered primarily as social sector investment and finally as business venture of the government or public-private joint venture.

Building of an IT educated work force is the most important segment of digital Bangladesh initiative. It is already been told that technology is important but not works without a person behind. For a future Bangladesh a tech shabby generation is significantly important. This generation would be the driving force for a digitized, prosperous and humane nation. To develop this kind of generation it needs to an education policy and national human resource policy. It is another hard truth that this objective could not be achieved over night, but a good beginning is essential, which will create the expected human resource that will manage, administer and govern future Bangladesh.

Educated workforce is important for another cause. IT is not only a hardware that could be run by a particular skill only. It is a knowledge driven technology, so, it need to run with them who have skill, knowledge, information and a level of education.

To achieve the objective of digital nation, local software is very important. If it is told that hardware is the body then software is soul. In the discipline of IT education, hardware and software are being considered as separate subject of knowledge. It should also be mentioned that the IT backbone and infrastructure is national, software knowhow is global.

Building of a backbone and developing a tech shabby generation is not enough for a digital Bangladesh. Connecting the generation to the philosophy of digital Bangladesh is the most important task for the elders especially for the policy makers. Policy makers should make the generation understand why a digital Bangladesh. Obviously the endeavor of digitizing the nation is to establish peace in society and state, accumulating social and private wealth, making the governing system accountable, transparent and corruption free.

And another objective is to establish rule of law. To achieve those goals information is the major tools, the technology dealt with the information must be driven by the manpower that have philosophical commitment and patriotism.

To build a digital Bangladesh, let build a nationwide IT infrastructure, a tech shabby generation, a human resource with knowledge, nation with kindness and patriotism.

By: Mohoshin Abbas