Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) announces the establishment of IT lab

Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) recently announced the establishment of an IT lab in 725 schools. The main objective of the IT lab is to make the community schools information technology-friendly and interactive. This will also aid in the Digital Nepal campaign of the Nepal Government.

Moreover, they want to establish information technology laboratories throughout the country. By doing so, it wants to make the teaching-learning process in community schools qualitative and competitive. It aims to do so by making maximum use of information and communication technology in 4 community schools in each federal constituency.

In order to set up IT laboratories, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MoCIT) selected one thousand community schools and forwarded it to NTA for implementation.

NTA called out a tender and after Evaluation, inked a contract agreement with OBCI / MAX / NEPA (JV) for the establishment of Information Technology Laboratories in 930 community schools. The supplier had to carry out a project for Supply, Installation & Commissioning of Equipment’s to Establish IT Labs in 930 Government High Schools of 7 Provinces, Contract No. IFA No.01 / NTA / ITL-2075/76.

Now, some of the schools are used as quarantine while some are shut with the COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping that in mind, they have extended the timeline to complete the work within 45 days of the school’s reopening. As per NTA, the supplier had delivered the prescribed equipment to 898 schools so far. Out of this, the information technology laboratory has been set up in 725 schools.

Also read: Why Telecom Operators Suffered a Huge Revenue loss this year?

Some more Insights on the establishment of information technology laboratory

According to the report received by NTA, they found the work of the supplier satisfactory in 50% of the schools. They issued the report after completing the monitoring and inspection work in 50% of the schools as per the agreement.

Adding on, NTA informs that 30% of the amount has already been paid to the supplier. NTA cordially requested all the stakeholders and even common people to complain to them if the implementation is as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the concerned schools with IT lab.

Read: Ministry of Education to provide Free internet to students.

Significance of having IT lab in Schools:

• Helps the school to change its ways of communication, making it more efficient from digital means.
• Improves the teaching-learning process in those schools.
• Helps in the digitalization of schools and improves the adoption of digital services among students.
• Also helps to make the community schools information technology-friendly and interactive.