Youth Union gets technology boost with new IT centre

A Youth-Child Information Technology Centre, funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) with more than US$3 million, opened in Vientiane this week for use by the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union.
The goal of the centre is to improve the IT knowledge and skills of the nation’s youth, so they are better equipped to contribute to the development process.

A ceremony to hand over the centre took place at the Youth Union on Tuesday and was jointly chaired by the Secretary General of the Union’s Central Committee, Mr Alounxay Sounnalath, and KOICA President, Ms Lee Mikyung. 
The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Laos, Mr Shin Sung-soon, was also in attendance.
Mr Alounxay said the centre would make a very important contribution to the overall education of young people and that strong skills in the field of information technology were vital for the country’s economic future.
He thanked the Korean government and KOICA for the assistance they had provided. Construction of the centre began in 2016 and was completed ahead of schedule this year.
The centre will provide learning and training opportunities to enable young people to publish and create software and other internet content.
Utilising social media to circulate accurate information intended for a youth audience, and the development of mobile apps with and for young people, are two activities planned by the centre’s administrators.
The plan is to focus on human resource development and produce good content, the Youth Union said.
The Youth Union and KOICA have developed a website at www.nit.gov.la.  Called Noumsao Inno Tech, the site aims to give young people an online place to gather and trade IT tips, and learn some Korean language.
The Youth Idea section gives visitors the opportunity to raise various lifestyle issues and dilemmas. KOICA’s ongoing support will see the development of a curriculum and textbooks for use at the centre. Young people’s computer literacy is expected to improve greatly as a result.  
KOICA will continue to support capacity building at the IT Centre by ensuring it is sustainably run through the KOICA IBS (Inclusive Business Solution) Programme, which is a part of the organisation that cooperates with private Korean investors.

By Viengdavang Banphahaksa
(Latest Update May 17, 2019)