An estimated 50,000 Chinese people have benefited from a scheme by
Asus and
Intel over the past six months giving them
computer training. The companies sponsored an estimated 1,500
students to teach basic computer skills to villagers in their hometowns, allowing members of Chinese villages to receive free training rather than paying for the service. The training helped school children to use
PCs to do their homework, enabled elderly people to get in touch with distant family members over the
internet and taught farmers how to use spreadsheets.
159 students, teachers and government officials were recently presented with awards as a sign of appreciation for their efforts. The project follows the Chinese government’s announcement 3 years ago that it intended to help rural areas to gain access to the internet as they bid to close the urban-rural divide. In May of this year, the Chinese government offered subsidies to rural families buying
home appliances, including
computers .
The spread of the internet has been significant in prompting these efforts by the Chinese government, while
netbooks are expected to help broaden the audience of the internet in
China given their portability and affordability.
Laptop sales could also contribute, while it remains to be seen whether
desktop PCs will prove popular in rural areas.