Sultan Qaboos University College of Education Department of Instructional & Learning Technologies

Information Technology Authority

(ITA)

Done by:

Asmaa Baqi Tufool Al Awaied Wafaa Al Rawwas Omaima Al Nahari Iman Bait Said

His Majesty Vision

We have always emphasized the importance of learning and knowledge and we have always been open to the adoption of new developments in this field. Information technology and communications have now become the main elements that move forward the development process in this third millennium; therefore, we have accorded our attention to finding a national strategy to develop the skills and abilities of citizens in this domain with the aim of further developing e-government services. We are closely following the important steps that we have made in this regard. We call upon all government institutions to speedily enhance their performance, and to facilitate their services, by applying digital technology in order to usher the Sultanate into the constantly evolving spheres for applying knowledge.
Sultan Qaboos bin Said The Annual Session of the Council of Oman November 2008

Overview
Information Technology Authority (ITA) is an independent entity enjoying corporate personality and financial and administrative autonomy set up by Royal Decree 52/2006 promulgated on 31.

Strengths
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Training citizens and government employees in IT basics so as to eliminate their digital illiteracy. Responsible for implementing national IT infrastructure projects. Introducing IT basics to school students. Providing professional leadership to various other e-Governance initiatives of the Sultanate. Offering specialized training courses to IT industry workers so that they can obtain recognized certificates.

Providing PCs and offering internet access to citizens at low prices. Supervising all projects related to implementation of the Digital Oman. ITA serves as a competency center on best practices in e-Governance. Integrating processes and improving efficiency in service delivery. ITA undertakes several projects to increase technology penetration. Empower its people with required digital literacy and higher levels of competence through training and innovation centers. Transform the Sultanate of Oman into a sustainable Knowledge Society by leveraging Information and Communication Technologies to enhance government services. Enrich businesses and empower individuals. Information Technology Authority (ITA) is pioneering the implementation of eOman Comprises of a wide range of initiatives and services that are designed and created to: Improve the efficiency of government services. Enhance the activities of businesses. Empower individuals with skills and knowledge. Meet societys needs and expectations. Direct Oman towards becoming a sustainable Knowledge-based Economy. The information within the ITA site can be quickly accessed. Transform the Sultanate into a knowledgebased economy for achievement of social and economical benefits to the Omani society. using this technology within the policies of economic diversification and sustained development Its site is always updated to always provide the latest information. Information in the website is easy to gather and print selectively.

Weaknesses
No awareness about the ITA among the Omanis. Complexity of all government processes and transactions which need to be Simplified and streamlined. Difficult access to timely and relevant public information.

Little plans and policies for training and development of human resources in IT. Lack of awareness and training campaigns to empowering consumers with IT skills and knowledge. Lack of ICT suitable education and training programs for various segments of the society. No or few training programs for students with privilege of choice. The need of more formal and informal communication channels with the society.