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Dubai eGovernment in 'building of minds'

DUBAI - Dubai eGovernment believes in building minds instead of focusing only on fun, says Marwan Al Naqi, Head of Dubai eGovernment Committee for Dubai Summer Surprises 2004.

"Right minds will enhance the image of eGovernment as it believes in using minds positively regardless of the fact that they are visitors or residents of Dubai," he says.

Elaborating on the Dubai eGovernment's events during DSS, Mr Al Naqi said that the department was contributing towards three major events that focused on IT skills that would highlight eServices and hone youngsters' skills.

Mr Al Naqi said that the events had been classified as eChallenge which was further into eChamp and eStar, Bait Al Khobra or the "House of Experience" that aims at providing necessary tools and resources to all government departments participating in DSS and the third being eFamily.

"The eChamp and eStar competitions will help sharpen the skills of participants that will, in turn, help us achieve our aim in making the general public more interested in computer literacy," said Mr Al Naqi.

In the Bait Al Khobra programme, various government departments and private sector participants will join hands to demonstrate Dubai eGovernment's capabilities in eServices, marketing facilities, human resources and training, he said.

Mr Al Naqi said that eChamp was tailored for youngsters up to age 18. "The competition will run on Word, Excel and Internet browsing and is designed to meet the IT level of these youngsters. Dubai eGovernment will provide testing centres in Modhesh Fun City where participants will have to sit for an exam. Every week, the participant with the highest grade will be selected. At the end of DSS there will be 10 nominees and the one with the highest grade among them will be the eChamp," he said adding that the eStar contest was similar to eChamp but open to adults." But, surprisingly, the grade of children in IT was higher than that of adults, he added. "There's a big digital divide between the old and new generation," said Mr Al Naqi.