Transcript ICT in Czech Republic in the year 2004

ICT in Czech Republic
in the year 2004
Olga Štěpánková
president of CSKI
[email protected]
Few basic facts concerning ITC
• GDP growth (2004): about 3% a year (slightly above the
average of EU-15)
• 48% of adults have a computer at home; 2/3 are
connected to Internet, i.e. 32% of adults can access
Internet from their home.
• 52% behind the digital divide: 38% of population has
no experience in using computers and 14% play computer
games only
• A.T. Kearne Consulting: “CZ is one of the countries with
best conditions for design and development of ICT
solutions (immediately after India, China, Malaysia)”
Governmental Initiatives
• 2000: Law on electronic signature
• since 1999: program of Min.Education “Internet to
schools”
• 24.3.2004: the government decree No. 265 “State
Information and Communication Policy” = strategic
document in the field of e-society upto 2006
• October 2004: public portal ensuring uniform
approach to governmental services;
The Manifest of Knowledge Society
SPIS, association of core ICT industries in CZ
 If no serious socio-economic changes, the country
will decline so slowly that almost nobody will take
notice. Results: decreasing creative potential and
exodus of competent people
 Road towards knowledge society requires
financial and moral long-term investments. The
problem? The results cannot be manifested before
the end of several election periods. Clear vision,
integrity and strength are needed!
Strengths
• ICT market/GDP: CZ on the 4. position among 25
countries [eE]
• Well-qualified hard-working open-minded work force
with high ability to improvise. Sophisticated production.
• Top level SW production.
• Number of people working in R&D is twice as high
compared to G7 [WB, 2004].
• More than 5000 new ICT graduates each year.
• Several decades of presence of females in ICT and in
technical environment in general.
Weaknesses: general comments
• Slow legislation and lack of transparency in decisionmaking, low transparency and intelligibility of the tax
system. Insufficient property protection [WB, 2004].
• High degree of corruption [Transparency Int. 2004]: 4
worst countries in Europe: Czech Republic, Latvia,
Slovakia and Poland.
• Low availability of governmental services offered
through Internet
• Refutation of simple international standards by public
institutions (e.g. concerning IT literacy)
Weaknesses: IT
• Low number of university graduates in full
population (about 50% of the number characterising
G7 countries [WB, 2004]), insuf.computer literacy
(less than 50% [DEMA, 2004]).
• Significantly lower number of technical publications
than average of G7 countries [WB, 2004].
• Excessive price of access to Internet (approx. 3 times
more than in EU-15 [eE]), low number of employees
connected to Internet (about 2/3 of the average of EU15 [eE]).
Opportunities
• Competitiveness of Czech SW companies
working on int.scale
• Attractive country with friendly life environment
• Culture of high esteem for education: life-long
learning is considered by 51 % of Czech citizens
(39 % count on e-learning)
• Education - rich resources to increase quality
and accessibility of middle and higher education.
This may be no more the case in several years.
Threats
• Continuous decline of quality of education due
to underpayment of teachers
• Artificial barriers preventing work force
mobility (domain specific home-made IT
certification systems)
• The state applies no positive motivation to
encourage personal growth of citizens
• National narcisism supported by usage of fuzzy
notions (like computer literacy)
Time for bold political decisions
Should a state support the specific section of
enterprises dealing with information and
communication technologies?
[MKS] : The correct answer is neither YES
nor NO ; both answers are wrong. The right
answer is “Define the concepts first and
specify what does it mean to support
peak technologies”!
The best decision the state can accept to support
ICT is to create good legal and cultural
environment.
Ensure
 public administration,
 education,
 legislation,
 support of direct foreign investment,
 friendly conditions for small enterprises.
IT literacy: a fuzzy notion
Czech Min.of Informatics: National Health Service
(UK) defines IT literacy as
A course in IT literacy,
an ability to use efficiently
which has been delivered
the hospital computer
to 32.000 of students
system. This needs 40-120
already.
hours.
It takes 120 minutes (aimed
at a total layman who does
not know the difference
Comparing the price and the
between mouse and
results of both projects is
keyboard).
highly misleading.
Some SWOT contradictions: low
impact of investments in ICT
• Top position in ICT market/GDP: CZ on the 4.
position among 25 countries [eE]
• Excessive price of access to Internet (approx. 3
times more than in EU-15 [eE]), low number of
employees connected to Internet (about 2/3 of the
average of EU-15 [eE]).
• Low availability of governmental services
offered through Internet, Low usage of e shopping
Some SWOT contradictions:
low average productivity of R&D
• Excessive work-force in R&D is twice as high
compared to G7 [WB, 2004].
• Significantly lower number of technical
publications than average of G7 countries [WB,
2004].
Impact of Int. Community:
CEPIS, IFIP, ..., EU
• Best practices - raising awareness among politicians!!!
• Definition and standardisation of notions and criteria
to be applied in the context of knowledge society.
• Insisting on usage of these de-mystified notions when
describing the obtained results (e.g. of the financed
international projects including the Structural Funds)
• Introduction of reliable internationally recognised
certification programs.
• Standardisation as a tool to prevent manipulation with
facts and to fight corruption.
Are you interested in getting
Manifest of Knowledge Society ?
Olga Stepankova
[email protected]