Friday, 3 September 2010
About | Contact Us | Careers | Feed
Advertisement
Follow us on Twitter 
| Join us on 
Editors
Kelly Ng works across FutureGov magazine, FutureGov.net, and the weekly e-newsletter. In her role, Kelly keeps the Asia Pacific government, healthcare and education sectors updated on news and articles relating to IT modernisation.
Kelly is also a contributing editor for FutureGov Research, and manages the surveys and government interviews for these special reports and whitepapers. At FutureGov Conferences around the region and on FutureGov TV, Kelly participates as a panel moderator or interviewer, fielding topics in her speciality areas of education, green IT and digital inclusion.
Kelly has a degree in Business Administration majoring in Law and Marketing from Singapore Management University. She lives for good food, pink scooters and the underwater world.
1 September 2010 | News
Taiwan reveals e-govt plans at FutureGov Summit China
Speaking to 120 senior government officials at today’s FutureGov Summit China in Dalian, Dale Su, Director of Information Management Office, Examination Yuan revealed Taiwan’s plan to become an ‘Intelligent Government’.
24 July 2010 | News
Better learning with web 2.0 and virtual worlds
In a visit to Ngee Ann Secondary School yesterday (22 July), FutureGov found students deeply engaged in learning. Students were strolling down corridors of 3D virtual art galleries or were chatting away with William Shakespeare. These were two of many other initiatives aimed at making the school a pace setter and leader for the innovative use of technology in teaching and learning.
20 July 2010 | News
The dangers of teaching in virtual worlds
Virtual worlds such as Second Life and Facebook are engaging and motivating students as never before. There are, however, risks beyond the teachers’ control that students could access undesirable content or interact with anonymous users.
19 July 2010 | News
Cloud helps universities cut costs by 74%
Queensland University of Technology in Australia leveraged cloud computing to provide enterprise software to more than 140 universities in Asia Pacific. Glenn Stewart, Professor of Information Systems revealed how the university dramatically reduced costs while it enjoyed greater assurance and scaleability.
13 July 2010 | Interview
What does a future school look like?
Hwa Chong Institute was the first independent school in Singapore selected by the Ministry of Education to be a Future School in 2008. Deputy Principal Chung Wen Chee revealed how the school translated its commitment to leverage educational technology into rewarding lessons in the classroom.
12 July 2010 | News
Green growth is key to city’s success, says Busan Mayor
“The number one measure of a successful city is environmental sustainability,” Vice Mayor Jeong Lak-hyong of Busan Metropolitan City told FutureGov in an exclusive interview.
6 July 2010 | News
HK varsity builds collaborative environment
The digital and physical learning environment must respond to, and reflect, the increased need for collaboration among students and educators, Geoffrey Dengate, Director, Information Technology Services, The University of Hong Kong told FutureGov.
6 July 2010 | News
Citizen engagement top priority for Yokohama Mayor
Citizen engagement, economic growth and quality of life are the key ingredients to a successful city, Fumiko Hayashi, Mayor of Yokohama, Japan told FutureGov in an interview.
29 June 2010 | News
Japan reveals key e-govt projects
In an exclusive interview with FutureGov, Japan’s e-government expert Kyosuke Tsuji, Deputy Director, Administrative Management Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, revealed his country’s priority projects - IT consolidation and improving citizen service delivery.
21 June 2010 | Feature
Learning beyond the classroom
The majority of learning takes place outside the classroom. How can educators take advantage of this reality through anywhere, anytime learning solutions, such as iPads, smart phones, eReaders and laptops? Kelly Ng investigates.
17 May 2010 | News
Malaysian education group integrates student info system
With eleven campuses across Malaysia and Indonesia each running stand-alone student management systems, INTI Education Group (INTI) had difficulties maintaining an updated and accurate report on its students. According to Richard Pany, Group Chief Information Officer at INTI, there was a lot of manual processing of data and duplicated information and effort, resulting in inaccuracy of information.
30 April 2010 | Feature
Making Malaysia's Schools Smarter
Malaysia launched the national Smart School programme more than a decade ago. Has the initiative produced ‘smarter’ students? Kelly Ng speaks to the Ministry of Education and the Multimedia Development Corporation to reveal their progress in modernising Malaysia’s schools.
21 April 2010 | Spotlight
Japan's green government cloud
Asian governments are aggressively exploring how they can leverage cloud computing to enjoy the benefits of scaleability, costs and manageability. Japan is no different. But Japan’s key driver, uniquely, is the desire to reduce its environmental impact. Director Hideaki Sugiura from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry explains why to Kelly Ng.
20 April 2010 | News
Why CCTV is a priority for Asian homeland security
Surveillance technology continues to be a focus of Asian governments’ public safety strategies. Over 100 security professionals gathered at the fourth annual FutureCCTV Forum this week to discuss the most effective ways of using CCTV. Government officials from Hong Kong, Brunei and Singapore shared their experiences with FutureGov.
7 April 2010 | News
India’s IT chief calls for closer private sector ties
Speaking to over 150 senior government officials at the FutureGov Forum India 2010 this morning, R. Chandrashekhar, Secretary IT, Ministry of Communications and Technology of India, revealed the growing opportunities of citizen service delivery through mobile phones and the need for closer Public Private Partnerships (PPP).
6 April 2010 | News
New classroom learning technologies
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) believes in combining the best of traditional classroom and online learning. Steve Ryan, Director, Centre for Learning Technology, revealed two technologies – clickers and lecture capture – which have proved to enhance the learning experience.
30 March 2010 | News
Japanese teachers embrace collaborative learning
Integrating technology into the classroom requires pedagogical judgment. Teachers who are familiar with the curriculum and their students are in the best position to drive change. FutureGov spoke to three elementary school teachers in Japan who have leveraged IT in their own unique ways to help students learn better.
30 March 2010 | News
E-learning delivers results for Uni in HK
In recent years, there has been an upsurge in e-learning at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Speaking to FutureGov, Dr. Carmel McNaught, Director & Professor of Learning Enhancement, Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research, whose Centre works closely with the IT Services Centre in e-learning development, discussed major e-learning initiatives and their impact.
19 March 2010 | News
MIT reveals leading edutech projects
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a dedicated team which drives the innovative use of technology in teaching and learning. Speaking exclusively to FutureGov, Vijay Kumar, who heads the Office of Educational Innovation and Technology, revealed its key IT projects for 2010.
16 March 2010 | News
Australian Uni takes bold steps into cloud
Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia is deploying a private cloud which will be operational by mid this year. CIO Peter Nikoletatos told FutureGov of the challenges he faces and the rewards he expects from migrating into the cloud.
9 March 2010 | News
Singapore primary school skypes America
Students from Singapore and California overcame physical boundaries and engaged in real-time cultural exchange. Troy Tenhet and Rose Manuel, Directors of Global Learning Exchange programme told FutureGov how internet video calls closed the 14,000 kilometres gap.
9 March 2010 | News
Japanese uni embraces mobile learning
Mobile learning has gained popularity among Japanese students at the Keio University. Fumitoshi Kato, Associate Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, explained to FutureGov how social networking and new media tools have enhanced the learning experience.
2 March 2010 | News
How single ID improved interaction with govt
To make it convenient for entities to interact with all government agencies, the Singapore government launched a multi-agency ICT project to implement a standardised identification number for each entity. Winston Wee, Head of Integrated Services, Ministry of Finance (MOF) told FutureGov of the challenges faced during project implementation and how they were overcome.
2 March 2010 | News
Turkey’s GCIO reveals success of citizen ID
Speaking exclusively to FutureGov, Dr. Ramazan Altinok, Head of E-government Project Group, Office of the Prime Minister of Turkey revealed how the government successfully implemeted a national ID database which formed the backbone of the country’s e-government infrastructure.
21 February 2010 | News
New Korean IT Agency President reveals priorities
Korea’s National Computing and Information Agency has placed cloud computing technologies, green IT and information security as top three priorities for 2010. Newly appointed President Chang Kwang-soo revealed to FutureGov his five-pronged strategy for the challenges ahead.
19 February 2010 | News
Queensland Police rolls out building access ID cards
Queensland Police Service is the first police force in Australia to issue employees with new electronic ID cards which integrate access to the premise and network resources, the Police Media and Public Affairs Branch told FutureGov.
9 February 2010 | News
Virtual reality technology saves lives
An accident in a nuclear or petro-chemical plant can result in the loss of many lives and millions of dollars. FutureGov spoke to Lee Jekwon, Technical Consultant, Invensys Operations Management about how virtual reality technologies can help reduce that risk.
9 February 2010 | News
Process-driven govt enjoys higher efficiencies
Citizens are demanding better and faster services from a more open government. Lars Bengtsson, ASEAN Managing Director, IDS Scheer revealed how a process-driven approach can improve efficiency to meet rising expectations from the public.
2 February 2010 | News
World’s first CCTV Regulator appointed
The world’s first CCTV regulator is coming to Singapore to take the pulse of Asia’s security industry.
25 January 2010 | News
China’s largest wireless campus boosts productivity
Nanjing University of Posts and Communications has the largest and most resilient wireless coverage area of any higher education institution in China. FutureGov spoke to Dr Zong Ping, Director, Internet of Things and Senor Network College, to reveal why and how the network was implemented.
25 January 2010 | News
Asian schools automate attendance tracking
Gone are days when classes start with roll-calls. FutureGov reveals how schools in Hong Kong, Japan, India and Singapore have taken the load off teachers by deploying biometric or smart card technology to track students’ entering and leaving the campus.
20 January 2010 | News
Networking blog boosts learning in Malaysian uni
Today’s students are avid users of technology. How best can teachers interact with them? Dr Supli Effendi Rahim, Lecturer, University Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Malaysia told FutureGov how he successfully engaged students and sustained a learning community outside of the classroom using a networking blog platform.
19 January 2010 | News
OGCIO leads green IT in HK
Hong Kong’s Office of Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) has been looking at how it can reduce the environmental impact of its public sector. Speaking exclusively to FutureGov, GCIO Jeremy Godfrey revealed the opportunities and challenges of green IT initiatives.
13 January 2010 | News
Denmark helps businesses with national e-invoicing system
A national electronic invoicing infrastructure has eased government-to-business and business-to-business transactions in Denmark. Catherine Lippert, Acting Deputy Head, Division for IT Infrastructure & Implementation, National IT & Telecom Agency (NITA) spoke to FutureGov about the drivers for the project and the agency’s plans to migrate the system into the cloud.
13 January 2010 | News
Korea e-govt helps cut emissions by 10%
The Korean government aims to reduce carbon emissions by 10 percent by 2012. Young-il Kwon, Director, Green IT Department, National Information Society Agency (NIA) revealed to FutureGov how the public sector will lead the way by greening its IT system.
5 January 2010 | News
How will ICT change the future of education?
Educators from Malaysia, Australia and India foresee a future in which digital books, hybrid mobile computers and touch-screen writing tablets will replace the text book, chalk and blackboard, according to a series of FutureGov interviews on how technology will change the future of education.
5 January 2010 | Interview
Putting government to the test
Two candidates enter the hall for the same examination. As the examination proceeds, the computer selects the next question from a database based on each examinee’s performance so far. The stronger candidate gets presented with more difficult questions while the other get easier ones. Immediately after, the computer generates equitable scores even though both have experienced a different test set.
5 January 2010 | Feature
Schools: The Public sector’s green Champions
169 education executives participated in a FutureGov Research survey on the future trends transforming teaching and learning in June. The results, from 13 countries across Asia Pacific, will have put a smile on the faces of tree huggers.
5 January 2010 | News
How to make ICT-enabled education succeed
ICT lies at the heart of modernising Asia’s education systems. However, technology alone will not be enough to bridge the digital divide, says Anita Dighe, Director, Directorate of Distance Learning, India. She went on to stress areas which governments need to focus on in order to deliver positive outcomes.
29 December 2009 | News
HK PolyU enhances learning with Web 2.0 tools
Many educators today still see online learning as merely putting up content on the web for students to download, failing to take advantage of the potential of transforming teaching and learning. Professor Eric Tsui, Faculty of Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University told FutureGov how he leveraged web 2.0 tools to enhance the learning experience.
29 December 2009 | News
Queensland schools eye 30 per cent energy savings
Queensland’s Department of Education and Training aims to reduce the energy consumption of its state schools by 30 per cent by 2012. Cam Mackenzie, Principal Advisor for Environmental Sustainability, Queensland Department of Education and Training, told FutureGov how the department plans to achieve this and detailed the challenges it must overcome.
23 December 2009 | News
Why Singapore schools chose the public cloud
The head of Ministry of Education’s IT department has detailed reasons why the agency is forging ahead with plans to use Google Apps, in addition to a parallel move to standardise the Ministry’s operating environment, known as the ‘SOE (Schools)’ project. Speaking exclusively to FutureGov, Lim Teck Soon, IT Director of MOE, explained that …
18 December 2009 | News
Australian govt centralises ICT procurement
All information communications and technology products and services will be centrally procured by the end of this financial year, the Australian government has announced.
10 December 2009 | News
Mobile phones close literacy gap in Pakistan
A literacy programme delivered through the mobile phone to disadvantaged female learners in Punjab showed improved literacy skills.
30 November 2009 | News
Slow progress by Philippine relief efforts
Recovery in The Philippines from the three consecutive typhoons has been slow. A month has passed but close to 382,000 victims still need rescuing from their flooded homes, according to the United Nations.
17 November 2009 | News
Rising costs push standardisation in NZ schools
Increasing IT costs have become a huge driver for standardising the IT operating environment across schools in New Zealand, a survey last week has shown.
10 November 2009 | News
Thin client wins hearts of Asian educators
The education sector was a major contributor to the growth of the thin client market in Asia Pacific’s public sector, a recent report has shown.
10 November 2009 | News
Govt calls IT industry’s green bluff
IT industry leaders are not doing enough to deal with electronic waste, governments, environmental activists, and community groups have claimed.
2 November 2009 | News
Mobiles aid emergency comms in Philippine school
While the devastating Ketsana typhoon disrupted classes in the Philippines for three full weeks, the best device which helped teachers and students stay connected was the mobile phone.
26 October 2009 | News
E-learning tops discussion among education CIOs
Malaysia has ambitious plans to increase entry to higher education to 40 per cent by 2010, up from 30 per cent in 2005. With that in mind, the Malaysian government is working hard at improving the availability of online education, shared Dr Zubaidah Aman, Principal Assistant Director, Ministry of Higher Education at the FutureGov Summit in Bali.
5 October 2009 | News
South Korea greens national data centres
South Korea has committed to reduce the energy consumption and carbon emissions of its national data centre by 18 per cent by 2013.
30 September 2009 | News
Kerala bridges digital gap with village IT centres
The Indian state of Kerala has opened its first community computing centre in an effort to close the digital divide, its state IT Director told FutureGov.
14 September 2009 | News
Singapore juggles IT centralisation with agency needs
Public sector agencies in Singapore do not have to compromise their unique IT requirements after the consolidation of national IT infrastructure, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore has assured FutureGov.
8 September 2009 | News
Malaysia rethinks green technology strategy
Malaysia’s new inter-ministerial green technology council has promised to galvanise efforts to form an integrated national green strategy.
1 September 2009 | News
Teachers block the path to modernisation
India’s ambitious National Mission on Education through ICT may be undermined by teachers’ reluctance to use technology in the classroom.
25 August 2009 | News
HK PolyU puts library in Second Life
Students of Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK PolyU) have been walking, flying and even teleporting from section to section within the new university library. The virtual library, built on the Second Life platform, is the first of its kind in Asia.
17 August 2009 | News
Blue sky thinking for mobile weather application
Scaleability was the key challenge when Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) designed the country’s first mobile weather service.
12 August 2009 | News
How forecasting technology can fight tax fraud
Taxation fraud is a key challenge faced by Asia Pacific’s public sector. Governments can reduce this monetary leak using forecasting technologies, CEO of SAS Jim Goodnight told FutureGov.
12 August 2009 | News
Thai schools make slow progress in IT
Educators in Thailand have reported sluggish progress in the use of technology in education due to the lack of government initiatives and support.
5 August 2009 | News
Pakistani province to connect govt agencies
The government of Punjab in Pakistan plans to be set up an inter-agency computer network to facilitate information sharing by next year.
4 August 2009 | News
Thailand plans e-patent system
Thailand’s Intellectual Property Department is planning to develop an e-Patent system that will enable citizens and companies to apply for patent protection or access information on intellectual property rights via the web.
4 August 2009 | News
Brunei counts on ICT to improve govt services
The government of Brunei has announced plans to leverage ICT to improve service delivery to citizens.
4 August 2009 | News
India pushes to close rural digital divide
The government of India has plans to make IT accessible to the masses in remote villages.
28 July 2009 | News
Indian knowledge-sharing pool exported
The success of the Indian government’s pilot public-private sector knowledge-sharing pool has spurred similar initiatives in Indonesia, Thailand and Bhutan.
28 July 2009 | News
Calls for e-health to better serve rural Australia
The Australian government must focus on e-health initiatives to better serve rural areas, the Australian Medical Association has urged.
27 July 2009 | Interview
How govt can prepare for unknown unknowns
Jo Bryson, Executive Director, Public Sector Commission, Government of Western Australia talks about enabling next generation service delivery.
21 July 2009 | News
Hong Kong Land Registry revamps E-Memorial Form
Hong Kong’s Land Registry has launched an enhanced version of its e-Memorial Form, which is now available to be downloaded free-of-charge from the registry’s web site (www.landreg.gov.hk).
13 July 2009 | News
Schools in Brunei enter the cloud
Students and teachers in Brunei will be given cloud-based email accounts by the end of this month, opening up opportunities for collaborative learning in the future.
13 July 2009 | News
India announces budget for education IT
India will invest 9 billion Indian rupees (US$189 million) on education through information and communication technology (ICT) this fiscal year, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has announced.
13 July 2009 | News
US and Korean govt web sites attacked
Cyber attacks assumed to be launched from North Korea disrupted United States and South Korean government and key private sector websites last week.
7 July 2009 | News
Poor progress for Britain’s green govt strategy
A recent study by an environmental non-governmental organisation has highlighted the inadequacies of Britain’s green government strategy initiated a year ago.
6 July 2009 | News
Green mandate for China's civil servants
Government workers in China must start going green in order to keep their jobs. So says He Jiankun, Deputy Head, Committee of Experts, at the National Climate Change Coordination Committee.
30 June 2009 | News
Could the mobile phone replace the blackboard?
The mobile phone could replace the blackboard in classrooms across Asia Pacific before long, a report on digital trends in the region has predicted.
30 June 2009 | News
Singapore hospitals to replace legacy archiving systems
Singapore’s largest healthcare group has entered into a 10-year partnership with Microsoft to establish an integrated radiology management system. The long term goal is to develop an enterprise-wide clinical imaging solution.
30 June 2009 | News
NSW Police installs image management system
The police force of New South Wales (NSW) has implemented Australia’s first large scale digital imagery management system to save law enforcers time.
23 June 2009 | News
Thailand plans ICT community centre roll-out
Thailand’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) has announced plans to build community ICT centres in all districts across the country, pending budget approval of 400 million baht (US$11.7 million) from central government.
23 June 2009 | News
Singapore Minister: govts should embrace culture of transparency
Many countries in Asia resist adopting better governance measures because it is the inefficiency and lack of transparency when issuing government licenses and permits that enable them to reap personal gains, a top Singaporean Minister has declared.
23 June 2009 | News
Govt lags private sector SaaS adoption in Asia
While Asia Pacific’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) market is expected to reach a high of US$298 million in 2009, little of this growth is expected to come from the government sector.
23 June 2009 | News
Compulsory ICT education for Punjabi students
The Indian state government of Punjab will make computer education a compulsory subject come this October with a view to make all 1.35 million students digitally literate by next year.
23 June 2009 | News
Supply chain management key to green govt: analyst
Supply-chain management software has a key role to play in helping the public sector meet its green mandate - but the products available are far from mature, according to analyst firm Ovum.
23 June 2009 | News
New South Wales undergoes radical govt restructure
The government of New South Wales (NSW) government has announced its biggest structural reform in more than 30 years, merging 160 agencies into 13 super departments.
16 June 2009 | News
E-govt is low on UN Development Agenda
While countries such as Singapore and Canada are recognised leaders in e-government, other United Nations (UN) member countries are still backward in their embrace of e-government practices, a UN representative has told FutureGov.
15 June 2009 | News
Govts buck trend for data storage growth decline
Enterprise disk storage revenue fell 18.2 per cent in the first quarter of this year as a willingness to pay to store information has fallen, a global study by IDC Research has found. However government storage spend is still growing, claims tech giant IBM.
15 June 2009 | News
Australian e-project abandoned
The Australian federal government has ignored a funding request and has withdrawn its involvement in a national online conveyancing system.
15 June 2009 | News
San Francisco govt contact centre now on Twitter
San Francisco residents can now reach the government customer service centre through Twitter, a free social messaging tool.
9 June 2009 | News
Singapore college claims zero IT project failures
Singapore’s Republic Polytechnic (RP) estimates to have saved S$7 million (US$4.8 million) a year from productivity gains due to the smart use of technology. The polytechnic also claims to have a record of zero IT (information technology) project failures in the seven years the institute has been running.
8 June 2009 | News
World’s first tuition-free online university opens
The United Nations (UN) has launched the world’s first tuition-free, online university.
8 June 2009 | News
Asian govts to spend more on software in downturn
Governments in Asia Pacific will continue to spend on software despite the economic downturn, an IDC study has shown.
4 June 2009 | News
First dedicated digital library opens in Korea
The world’s first purposed-built digital library with the largest dedicated space for users to access online content opened this week.
2 June 2009 | News
Education: tech can deliver higher quality assessment
Singapore’s key education challenge is not to move away from the assessment system but to improve it – and technology can help. So says David Hogan, Dean of Office of Education Research, National Institute of Education (NIE).
2 June 2009 | News
Study: web-based learning vs face-to-face
A study of Malaysian tertiary students using web-based learning technologies showed only a slight improvement in performance over conventional face-to-face teaching methods.
29 May 2009 | News
ECM to grow despite economic gloom
The value of the enterprise content management (ECM) solutions market in Asia Pacific will grow by between four and seven per cent over the next three years, regardless of the economic outlook, an IT analyst has predicted.
26 May 2009 | News
Academic: 80 per cent of e-govt projects fail
The Head of Online Services at the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development has revealed the government’s plans to increase e-services from six to 35 per cent of business transactions by 2012. However, 60 to 80 per cent of e-government projects around the world fail, Dr Nabeel Al Qirim, Associate Professor, College of Information Technology, UAE University, warned in an interview with FutureGov.
26 May 2009 | News
Vietnam pushes IT training for teachers
Vietnam’s commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City hopes to speed up the modernisation of its schools by introducing vendor-supported IT training programmes for teachers.
18 May 2009 | News
Japan govt plots private cloud
Japan’s government is planning to build a private cloud environment that could eventually host all Japanese government software.
14 May 2009 | News
South Korea Commits to Green Investment
The Green Growth Commission announced yesterday (13 May) that the South Korean government will commit to spending 12.6 trillion won (US$10 billion) to develop environmental technology in the next five years.
12 May 2009 | News
Singapore Announces Government IT Priorities For 2009
More than US$1.18 billion of new IT initiatives were announced this morning (12 May) at a dedicated IT briefing organized by Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore.
Survey of the Week
In your experience, is gaming an effective training tool?
Most highly rated
Better learning with web 2.0 and virtual worlds
In a visit to Ngee Ann Secondary School yesterday (22 July), FutureGov found students deeply ...
Will Facebook profiles replace govt web sites?
It’s all the rage for ministries and agencies to have a Facebook pages these ...
Singapore awards US$144m EHR contract
A consortium made up by Accenture, Oracle, and Orion Health has won Singapore’s National ...