Dubai eGovernment launches eCitizen initiative to increase level of e-literacy among Dubai public

Under the e4all umbrella, the 16-hour programme aims at increasing the level of awareness and usage of Dubai government's online services apart from teaching basic e-mail and Internet fundamentals to the nationals and expatriates living in Dubai.

Based on the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, on bringing about the transformation of Dubai into a digital society, the Dubai eGovernment has set the goal of providing 90 per cent of Dubai government department's services online by the year 2007.

"Dubai eGovernment aims at encouraging the public to shift from traditional methods of conducting business with government departments to online services. eCitizen Training Programme will not only improve the operational practices and performances of citizens, but also expand the overall capabilities of the government, the business and the public," said Salem Al Shair, Director eServices, Dubai eGovernment.

The eCitizen training will be a 16-hour programme with two hours each dedicated to basic introduction to PC, Internet fundamentals, e-mail fundamentals and ten hours of training on eServices. Dubai eGovernment has coordinated with six training centres to provide eCitizen training to citizens supervised by qualified instructors. After the completion of the programme, the candidate will evaluate the training centre online before receiving the accredited certificates. The training package includes sixteen hours of coaching including a follow up by the concerned training centre, which will register the citizen into Learning Management System.

This instructor-led cost effective programme is exclusively designed for the citizens and expatriates living in Dubai. The launch of the programme demonstrates Dubai eGovernment's planned approach towards building a wired community, fully equipped to conduct government transactions electronically.

"With an objective to automate and integrate government services, Dubai eGovernment first established a world-class infrastructure and integrated most of the government departments into its main portal. eCitizen has been designed to instil a better understanding among the public about how eServices work and to encourage the use of online services among the nationals and expatriates living in Dubai," added Al Shair.

The UAE is the leading country for e-government services in the Arab World, and according to a recent UN report, is ahead of such countries as Japan and Ireland in this field. UAE's e-learning market itself is estimated at US$ 14 million and is expected to grow to US$ 56 million by year 2008.