We have to think big in the IT field

Everybody at the first reunion of the think tank appointed to draft the strategy for shifting to the new economy and implementing the IT society in Romania kept talking about two ideas: every expense the Romanian state budget made for IT has produced little result and Romania must take steps to stop the migration of brains.

“Romania has spent hundred of millions of dollars for various IT programmes, with no improvement in the quality of life and its economic situation. This is just wasted money, because there was nobody to think big when making the expenses,” IT&C minister Dan Nica said.

Minister Nica feels it is time we got over “buying computers by the kilo” phase and start doing something concrete, to produce tangible results.

“If we take a look at the statistical data over the past few years, the main products we have exported are ready-made clothes and raw material, not IT products which are a bridge to the maximum profitability area,” PM Adrian Nastase said in his turn.

Nastase feels that the banking activity needs an upgrade, as a “bank where billing is done by using the old fashioned pen” still exists in Romania. Steps to upgrade card systems will also have to be taken, Nastase says.

“There are two good things about cards: theft prevention, although the thieves always working on improving their skills can create a problem, as well as the fact that the money in deposits can be used for various social projects,” the PM added.

The short-term strategy, in Nastase’s opinion, is developing long-distance education, rural computerisation and cutting telecommunications tariffs.

“To stimulate development in this field, we’re also planning on granting fiscal incentives to the companies dealing in this market and support IT start-ups,” Nastase specified, without providing further details.

As for the education system, Ecaterina Andronescu, Education and Research minister, said the ministry she runs had developed a project to ensure that no student would graduate from college without knowing how to operate a computer.

Where high-school education is concerned, Andronescu says that pilot projects, which enable all schools to have at least one computer, will be implemented in eight counties this fall.

“Our goal is to introduce 500,000 computers in schools over the next four years, with funds from the World Bank,” Andronescu announced.