Taiwan Today

A government program to narrow the digital divide between the sexes in Taiwan will be continued this year to provide more training opportunities for women, the ROC Council for Economic Planning and Development said July 17. Around 19,000 women are expected to receive training under the program in 2012, with the amount to be invested totaling NT$30 million (US$1 million), according to the CEPD. The ratio of women in rural and remote regions to be trained this year is expected to reach 17.71 percent of the total, which would mark the highest figure to date, the council said. Under the program, which was launched on a trial basis in 2007 before being formally implemented the following year, roughly 99,000 women had received computer instruction as of the end of 2011. The amount spent on the program, including funds provided to private nonprofit organizations and schools offering related courses, was approximately NT$150 million for the period. The program offers free courses around the clock in a range of subjects such as basic computer skills, Internet applications and digital imaging, the CEPD said. It stressed that from 2011, a course on information security was added, teaching how to guard against computer viruses and hackers seeking to obtain users’ personal information. Classes have also been offered to raise awareness of intellectual property rights, to help women avoid breaking the law by downloading pirated material. (SB-THN)