The government of the
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region opened a distance learning center
on Wednesday which is designed to help develop education and
eliminate poverty in this western region of China, by using
information and communication technology.
The Ningxia distance learning center is the result of joint efforts
by the regional government, the government of Australia and the World Bank.
Using state-of-the-art distance learning technology, the center
allows participants from across China, other East Asian countries
and even other continents, to share information and learning
without leaving their home towns.
Located at Ningxia University, the center is the 30th distance
learning centre in the growing Global
Development Learning Network (GDLN). Administered by the World
Bank, GDLN is a fully interactive, multichannel distance learning
network with a mandate to serve developing nations.
According to Mohamed Muhsin, World Bank Vice-President and Chief
Information Officer, the Ningxia centre is a three-way milestone
for GDLN. "It is the first distance learning centre located in one
of China's poor western provinces and regions; it lays the
groundwork for China's nationwide connection ; and it begins GDLN's
shift to using the Internet Protocol for its
video-conferencing."
Connectivity between the Beijing hub and Ningxia is being provided
by the China Education and Research Network (CERNET) which consists
of a high-speed fibre network linking 38 universities in 36 cities
throughout China.
In
keeping with GDLN's goal of harnessing information and
communication technology for global learning and knowledge
exchange, the official opening of the Ningxia center was a virtual
event, with participants and speakers in Ningxia, Beijing,
Washington, Singapore and Canberra linked together by video
conference.
Northwest China's Ningxia is one the nation's poorest regions.
"High-quality human resources are a key factor for economic and
social development in this period of accelerated global economic
integration and rapid development of information technology," said
Ma Qizhi, governor of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
(China
Daily November 1, 2001)