Internet for the Weekday and the Weekend

Frantisek Dohnal, President of the Jihlava Region

The project for daily using of Internet in schools, libraries and Town Halls in the Jihlava Region.

·  Situation in Jihlava Region in 1999

·  Goals of Project

·  Target Groups, methods

·  Organizing, financing

·  SIP Action Plan and Project

·  Situation in Jihlava Region in 2001

Summary

District Office in Jihlava prepared two studies in 1999 on the using of Internet in public organisations in the district and on general skills and knowledge of the citizens in ICT. The results of the studies show the average level as the whole Czech Republic at that time. About 4 percent of inhabitants only had any experience with using of Internet.

The group of Mayors and officials made the project for the strong growing-up of skills and knowledge of the citizens in the district in one year. The basic idea was to learn "the apostoles" of the IT in schools, libraries, public organisations, town halls and SME. The teachers and pupils in the schools had a special position.

Towns and villages in the region joined the sources with the support of the state administration and the private sector. All town halls, libraries, schools have got the computers with Internet connection free. Certain group of teachers and pupils has got PC with Internet connection for their homework as well. Hundreds of participants of the project have taken part in education and training courses.

Ministry of Interior has special project in the SIP Action Plan for e-communication with towns in the Czech Republic. One subproject of this initiative has tried an ease and cheep system of Public Private Partnership.

After six month we have all elementary and secondary schools connected to Internet. All town halls have e-mail addresses and they communicate daily with state organisations. Six libraries with proffesional staff offer IT services for citizens. The second wave of training courses is focused on the families of children and teachers and SME. Using of ICT technologies becomes the general and usual tool in the work of public administration.

Information about the author:

Frantisek Dohnal

Birth Date:28th of April, 1960

Occupation:President of Jihlava Region

Czech University of Technology, Prague 1984

Head of IT Department, District Hospital Jihlava, 1984-1990

TESOFT Jihlava, Software Specialist, 1990-1991

City of Jihlava, Mayor, 1991-1998

Union of Towns and Communities of the CR, President, 1993-1999

Jihlava Region, President of Region, 2000

www.isss.cz / 1

Konference Internet in public administration 26th – 27th March, 2001 Hradec Králové

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