COMPUTER literacy has become increasingly crucial for those seeking government scholarships to study overseas, said a Ministry of Education official.

“The ministry’s Basic Education Department No. 3 does not provide any overseas scholarships to candidates who lack computer skills,” said U Han Shwe, an assistant education officer at Mayangone township’s Education Office.

He was speaking at a prize presentation ceremony held by the Myint Moe Hein computer training centre at MICT Park on June 11.

Acquiring ICT skills had become essential for the younger generation because they needed to keep abreast of rapid changes in the sector, U Han Shwe said.
Most students acquired only a minimum level of the necessary skills during their education, he said.

“School teachers and principals have to encourage students to reject this old way of thinking,” U Han Shwe said.

To help students keep up to date with changes in ICT, the ministry had formulated a model for an education system aimed at creating a society capable of facing the challenges of the knowledge age, he said.

While the education system was trying to move forward, students must keep in touch with the latest trends by using private ICT training centres, which are vital knowledge providers.

“Some teachers and principals still have the old way of thinking and are reluctant to accept the value of such training centres,” U Han Shwe said.

“In fact we must encourage our students to attend the ICT courses they provide,” he said.

U Han Shwe said parents should encourage their children, even at an early age, to attend such training courses.