Thaksin Says Housewives Should Use Computers

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Thaksin says housewives should use computers

BANGKOK: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday instructed the Information and Communica-tion Technology (ICT) Ministry to provide courses to teach basic computer use to housewives.

Thaksin said he would like mothers to know how to use computers so that they could understand what their children were doing.

The prime minister said housewives might also be able to use the computers to start home businesses.

ICT Minister Surapong Sueb-wonglee said mothers could also teach their children how to use the machines and some might also find ways to make money at home.

The minister said housewives in several countries do part-time jobs at home using computers.

Thaksin yesterday led his Cabinet members in donating computers to the ICT Ministry to use in its projects to give computers to poor and remote schools.

Thaksin himself donated 12 computers while Industry Minister Pinij Charusombat donated 20 and Science Minister Chettha Thanajaro donated 10.

Other Cabinet members’ donations ranged from one to three computers.

Surapong said the ICT Ministry initiated the project to allow computer users to turn in their old but working computers for new ones at a price of Bt13,990, starting on Friday. The old computers will be given to poor schools.

He said he expected to receive 400,000 used computers to give to 4,500 schools nationwide.

--The Nation 2004-03-10