Taiwan showcases technology

The benefits Belize receives from its relationship with the Republic of China on Taiwan range from healthy helpings of cash to hands on advice on agriculture. Today, at an exhibition timed for our September celebrations, Belizeans got a look at the high tech side of our Asian ally. News Five’s Alyssa Noble reports.

Alyssa Noble, Reporting
This morning, the National Institute of Culture and History and the Embassy of the Republic of China-Taiwan, officially opened the Taiwan ? Belize Innovation Show with a ceremony at the Belize City House of Culture. The Show which is being held under the theme: ?Hand in Hand, We Click the Future, the Destination is our Dream? has much of the world?s latest technology on display.

Yasser Musa, President, NICH
?This is a different time we are living in, a technology time, a time driven by gadgets and it?s important that we don?t become slaves to those gadgets. That we learn how to use, that we are trained, that in our businesses, our offices, or government work, whatever kind of work we do, that we are equipped with the skills to utilize this technology.?

The show explores both the serious and lighter sides of technology … including games for those who don?t have the slightest idea what they?re doing.

But while the items on display are impressive, they are still not available in Belize or easily accessible by Belizeans. But according to Yasser Musa, President of NICH, there are plans to change all that … starting with the schools.

Yasser Musa
?Well it comes down to education. I think we have put steps forward to introduce information technology into schools. We still have a long way to go, but once we have that framework into our school system, our people are very accessible, eager and yearning for technology, so I think we can make a leap forward that many other countries had to take two hundred years. Well I would like to encourage first, teachers especially, to call the House of Culture and book a specific time because we have trained personnel that can lead them through where we are right now which is the digital office and the digital home. We have trained personnel that show for the e-learning, the e-government, e-business and we a theatre right next door that has various videos about twenty minutes of videos about technology. So it?s a very packaged tour, so all I ask is that teachers call in advance and we?d be happy to schedule them. It runs until Saturday, so we hope that we can get many students here.?

The Taiwan-Belize Innovation Show is being held under the official September Celebrations Calendar and is open to the public free of cost.

Reporting for News Five, I am Alyssa Noble.

The show runs at the House of Culture through Saturday.