Financial Times

Initiative
Troops lead while leaders fight

Soldiers learn IT
The Sunday Times FT today brings you a story that should be a model for sheer initiative and a lesson on how to be proactive. It's a tale of how a small group of people in the army - instead of waiting for the authorities to come up with solutions - is developing skills to face the future in case the promised peace results in downsizing of the army.

Our fervent hope and plea is that this group doesn't get penalized or reprimanded for their initiative being noticed by ICT experts and getting the publicity it deserves. There may be more similar cases like this in the army or outside that deserve recognition - Business Editor.

While the country's two leaders are at loggerheads over the peace process and a power-sharing deal, a small group of soldiers is leading the way in showing initiative, drive and enthusiasm to learn skills in case they are asked to demobilise.
An army of about 80,000 is unlikely to be sharply reduced even if the government and the LTTE successfully negotiate a peace pact that is acceptable to all communities. However Sri Lankan soldiers, as this group has shown, aren't waiting to see what happens.

The soldiers led by a senior officer, who declined to be named, have launched their own Information Communication Technology (ICT) unit - in a disused toilet - and with a couple of used computers are learning about IT and web designing. "I was amazed," said Dilanthe Withanage, Programme Specialist at the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka who stumbled upon the group of infantrymen during a recent visit to Jaffna to study the level of ICT development in the north.

The officer concerned told Withanage that one of the issues that had been nagging him for a while was the future of the army and its soldiers. "My concern is what would happen to the boys? The way the peace process is going we may have to leave these camps and make way for civilians to be resettled. I don't think we would lose our jobs. However we need to be pragmatic and futuristic and use our abilities effectively," he told Withanage.

The officer said that learning ICT and English would help in job opportunities overseas, particularly in the Middle East. Driven by this vision, the men converted a disused toilet/wash room in a destroyed building into a small computer lab.

Without relying on army support, the group purchased three used computers dipping into the welfare fund of the camp. In addition to training, the computers are used to automate some of their activities, like turning out computerized forms.
There are no air conditioners but fans in the mini computer lab, which is neatly kept. The soldiers are being trained on computers with some English communication skills.

"I was moved by this initiative. While some sections of the society want soldiers to fight these men are preparing for peace and in addition empowering themselves.
What a lesson for us," noted Withanage. The young ICT specialist during his visit to the north also had meetings with community leaders and LTTE local leaders some of whom said they were not aware of ICT.

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