JICA expert solves Bumthang’s IT problems
Jan 31, 2012
Fujio Mawatari, 27, has come to the rescue. After the arrival of this Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) volunteer last October Bumthang Dzongkhag administration no more had to request for IT professionals from Thimphu to fix when a computer broke down. Earlier, this was the situation and it would take days and months to fix their computers.
Mawatari assists schools and the Dzongkhag administration to set up servers and repair computers that have broken down. “Here is very cold, people are very kind, the place is beautiful,” he says in his typical Japanese tone.
The Bumthang Dzongkhag Education Officer, Lamdra Wangdi, said that it was very expensive earlier to hire IT professionals from Thimphu. “Just paying their Daily Subsistence Allowance, DSA and maintenance charges itself came to more than Nu. 10,000 to Nu.15,000,” he said.
“After his arrival here, not only schools are benefited even the Dzongkhag as a whole has benefited a lot where we need not have to pay any amount. He has been repairing quite many numbers of computers.”
Currently, there are two JICA volunteers in Bumthang. The JICA volunteers programme was initiated in Bhutan in 1988. JICA’s assistance has been mainly in Agriculture, Forestry, Engineering, Health, Education, Machinery Maintenance, IT services and Sports.
What a great scheme, I can see this working in other parts of the world too. Computers have become so central to almost everything we do. This is a good way of getting IT help to small organizations.