750th Better Connections ICT facility for workers opens
DOHA: To improve the lives of migrant workers, Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (ADLSA), H E Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi, opened yesterday the 750th Better Connections ICT facility.
The facility was opened at the workers’ residences at the Labor City Accommodation in Asian Town, under the umbrella of the Private Engineering Office, after being equipped with computers, software and wireless Internet.
“The event marks the halfway milestone on the program, which aims to equip and open 1,500 ICT facilities for migrant workers at their accommodation sites to sharpen their information and communications technology skills and enable them to better participate in Qatari society,” said the Minister while speaking at the inaugural ceremony.
He said that Qatar has taken more steps to protect expatriate workers’ affairs, believing that the dignity, safety, security and health of workers is vital and part of Qatar National Strategy 2030.
The Minister noted that these steps come within the framework of commitment to the teachings of religion and the values and ethics of the Qatari society and international laws and conventions. “This initiative is being carried out in cooperation between the Ministry of Transport and Communications, and the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, in partnership with many institutions in the State, including the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, ROTA and others,” said the Minister.
He underlined that the initiative aims to facilitate the workers’ communication with their families through the modern devices, and to educate workers on the Qatari Labor Law and legislation, rights and duties, as these information are available in 10 languages uploaded to the devices which have been linked to the Ministry’s hotline to receive workers’ complaints.
The Minister said the initiative also aims to train workers who are unable to deal with modern devices on technology skills, and to teach them the different computer programs like Word and Excel through specialised trainers speaking in five different languages, noting that a large number of them were able to deal with the computer and its programs and to communicate with their families, raising their morale and increasing their productivity in their workplaces. He praised the efforts of the Ministry of Transport and Communications in support of the implementation of this initiative, whose cost so far had reached over QR180m.
Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the event, Assistant Undersecretary for Digital Society Development Affairs, Reem Al Mansoori said: “750 ICT facilities have a total of 7,500 computers. Today we open a large ICT facility which has around 35 computers. In the Labour City we set up 111 ICT facilities to reach 11,000 labourers. ICT facilities are being set up in labour camps at the rate of a facility for each 1,000 labourers.”
Reem Al Mansoori said that all computers are connected with Internet wi-fi service which is absolutely free for workers just to walk in to avail the service during their free time.
“The computers are also equipped with headsets and other necessary gears enabling workers to talk to their families through communication apps,” said Al Mansoori.
“The Ministry of Education and Higher Education will donate 15,000 personal computers (PCs) including desktops and laptops within two months,” Ibrahim Yousuf Al Badr, Head of Supply Section at IT Department of the Ministry said.
By Sanaullah Ataullah I The Peninsula
