By Syed Altefat Hossain

RAJSHAHI, Dec 26, 2021 (BSS) – The ‘Sheikh Russel Digital Lab’, a flagship project of the government, is playing a vital role in expanding the ICT education for building a large technologically skilled workforce to run the ‘Digital Bangladesh’, keeping pace with the changing world.

By establishing specialized computer labs in the educational institutions across the country under the project, the government is speeding up the expansion of computer literacy and quality education, job opportunity, employment skills and language competency.

 
According to the officials, ‘Sheikh Russel Digital Lab’ is promoting and inspiring multimedia education at PSC, SSC and HSC levels by providing state-of-the-art computer facilities and strengthening the institutional capacity through ensuring the quality of education with the highest use of ICT.
 
The lab has also created an IT enabled language learning facility to promote language dependent freelancing and outsourcing, and inculcate other employable skills, they said.

A total of 8,000 Sheikh Russel Digital Labs have so far been set up at different educational institutions, including schools, colleges, universities and madrasahs, across the country.

Rajshahi River View Collectorate School is one of those educational institutions where the Sheikh Russel Digital Lab has already been set up.
 
While visiting the school, it was observed that there are 25 computers in the lab while the school on the bank of the Padma River is also well equipped with digital technologies and devices. The students were seen entering the classrooms giving digital attendance through fingerprint.

Jarmim Akter Tumpa, a 10th grader of the school, was seen browsing the internet with a computer at the Sheikh Russel Digital Lab in the school.
 
Tumpa said she learnt how to operate computers from her school lab as there is no computer at her home.

“It was very exciting for me to touch a computer for the first time at my school. But now I am a little bit efficient at Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, creating result sheets and browsing the internet,” she said.

Setting up of the digital lab in the school has opened the door of learning about digital technology for the students with a financially weak background, Tumpa said, adding, “The students, who are unable to buy any computer, can learn about digital technology from the school lab”.

Headmaster of the school, Manwara Perveen said through the Sheikh Russel Digital Lab, the students are getting an overall idea on computer education from the school level while they are also being enriched with the ICT knowledge.

Noting that the lab has dispelled the students’ fear centering computer operation, she said, the students from class six to ten are being taught through multimedia since all classrooms at the secondary level are equipped with the digital devices.

The lab is also helping to build up the students as ICT skilled work-force and equip them with adequate skills so that they can access global market for decent work, Perveen added.

State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak said the government is setting up the ‘Sheikh Russel Digital Lab’ at every educational institution across the country in line with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s declaration of building a ‘merit based nation’ under the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ vision.
 
“We have a target of creating employment for 30 lakh youths and increasing the export income from ICT sector to US$ 5 billion by 2025,” he said, adding the 39 hi-tech parks, 64 Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Centers, 300 Schools of Future and 8000 Sheikh Russel Digital Labs will play a vital role to achieve the target.

“We will set up 27,000 more Sheikh Russel Digital Labs and 300 Schools of Future across the country by 2025,” Palak said.

Besides, a project is being formulated for setting up 5,000 Sheikh Russel Digital Labs and 300 Schools of Future in the primary schools while coding education is going to be added to the primary education from 2022, he added.