Korea IT Volunteer Programme in Sri Lanka

A team of Korean volunteers skilled in Information Technology (IT) is currently in Sri Lanka imparting knowledge on advanced IT to select groups at the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL).  This team is part of a larger group i.e. about 150 teams, which the Government of South Korea dispatches annually to developing countries during every summer to provide advanced IT Technology.

The Korea IT Volunteer (KIV)programme is hosted by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security of Korea and itis managed by the National Information Society Agency of Koreasince 2001.

Under ITU Assistance, the Korea IT Volunteer training programmeis being conducted in Sri Lanka specifically for members of TRCSL staff and special schools, IT instructors of select centers, and IT teachers from 18thJuly to 12th August 2011.

Known as the Arirang team in South Korea, the members of the KIV(Korea IT Volunteer) team currently in Sri Lanka comprise: Professor Shim Won Bo, and students Choi Seok Hwan, Kim Hyang Won (from Chung Cheong University) and Kwak Woo Jung(from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies).

Their syllabus includes IT topics such as Photoshop, Visual Basic, C-Language and PHP, plus an introduction to various aspects of Korean culture. The duration of the training course is four weeks. Two classes are conducted side by side. Altogether there are 50 personsenrolled for this training.

Professor Shim Won Bo, the leader of the team, has anongoing interest in international IT volunteer programs. He has taken part in KIV programmesheld in China (2008) and Cambodia (2010).

Hesaid "We want to reduce the gap in information technology that exists betweenvarious countries. Our aim is to give the benefit of our knowledge of advanced IT technology and the experience gained in South Korea in developing e-government to the rest of world including Sri Lanka. Through this IT volunteer activity we will also be introducing Korean culture. Moreover, we will also try to gain an understanding of the culture of Sri Lanka through interaction with participants in our classes and by our visits to famed historical places and other sightseeing areas”.

Mr. Anusha Palpita, Director - General, TRCSL said “ this type of programme will help to enhance IT knowledge among our officers & IT instructors & teachers in Sri Lanka . We thank the Government of South Korea, and the KIV team for their dedicated effort and contribution to make the implementation of this programmea success. Finally, we thank the ITU for their assistance in co-ordinating such an important activity in Sri Lanka”.