Hashem S. (2001) Community Telecentres in Egypt, in Journal of Development Communication: Special Issue on Telecenters 12[2]

online at http://ip.cals.cornell.edu/commdev/documents/jdc-hashem.doc

The chapter provides descriptions of different Multipurpose Community Centres in Egypt. These are TACCs, 21st Century Kids’ Clubs (or simply Kids’ Clubs) and Information and Decision Support Centers and Units (IDSCs). Two of them, Technology Clubs targeting young people and the Community Telecenters Projects targeting Small and Medium Enterprises, are programs of the Egyptian governement.

§         TACCs: a project of UNDP and the Egyptian government initiated in 1998. A TACC is usually established in a central location in the community, and telephony, fax machines, copiers, personal computers, software libraries, and Internet access. A TACC organizes seminars, workshops, roadshows, specialized training, technical and technological expertise for professional as well as for the general public. The mission of the TACC is basically community empowerment and local capacity building. Community participation is a key factor in the TACC project.  Typically a TACC occupies about 100 square meters, with about 10 PCs and 2-3 servers, connected via a local area network, color and inkjet printers, a scanner, a fax machine, and a copier, in addition to the Internet connectivity. TACC staff is basically a center manager, 1-2 technical persons, 1-2 administrative persons, in addition to visiting professional experts. Most of the training programs conducted at the TACCs attract mainly their local professional communities, offered courses cover introduction to computers, office automation tools, and some business support IT applications.

§         21st Century Kids’ Clubs: are being established with the effort to build the information society, to reduce the gap between the have’s and the have-nots, and also to be an avenue for kids to work with their peer groups around the world in cyberspace. The initiative started in 1997 with the support of the Egyptian government. In 2001 there weere more than 50 Kids’ Clubs spread in 19 governorates.  A typical Club contains 8-10 PCs, a printer, Internet connectivity, a library, and computer software packages. The Clubs offer training courses and awareness seminars to the local communities, with a primary focus on kids ages 8-15. Although the Clubs focus on kids, many parents are immediately attracted to the technology, and in many cases they join their kids in the training courses, or often require special training to keep up with the kids.

§         Information and Decision Support Centers and Units (IDSCs): mandated to serve the local public administration officials. In 2001, more than 1400 centers and units have been established countrywide, covering all Governorates, capital cities, major cities, and hundreds of villages. The staff working at the IDSC centers and units receives special training courses on ICT provided through the Egyptian Cabinet IDSC (training trainers program). Then, in turn, they transfer this knowledge and expertise to their local communities. There were about 40 public training centers affiliated with these IDSCs. These training centers are helping individuals in local communities develop their skills.

§         National Telecentres Project: Based on the national communications and  information technology plan, MCIT planned to establish over 300 new Technology Clubs and Community Telecenters by the end of  December 2001, and about 200 such telecenters per year for three years, including   up to 60 specialized telecenters for professionals in various sectors, including: commerce, manufacturing, healthcare, etc. Typically, MCIT-supported telecenters are hosted by other governmental or NGO entities, and they are only supported for a limited period with a focus on operating on a self-sustaining cost-recovery basis.