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SINGAPORE – Ms NoorJahan Kamaruddin, 60, has adopted navigation applications such as Google Maps and the MyTransport application from the Land Transportation Authority.
To help other seniors like her take advantage of these apps, the volunteer has taught lessons on how to use them to find bus and train routes.
Soon, 500 senior volunteers like Ms. NoorJahan will be trained annually for two years to become Smart Nation Ambassadors, where they will train others on how to use digital skills in their daily lives.
This will be part of a government collaboration with the community, under a two-year MOU that was signed by RSVP Singapore, an organization for senior volunteers, and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) on Saturday (12 de September). .
RSVP Singapore and SNDGO will also jointly develop an online learning portal for Smart Nation Ambassadors to learn soft skills and information on Smart Nation initiatives.
The portal will be open to the public, with courses that will help users to become familiar with digital government services, how to work effectively with young people, and even how to operate drones for leisure and play.
The memorandum of understanding will drive a deeper engagement with older people on the use of technology and help cultivate a group of tech-savvy older people who can help each other on their digital journeys, said the Minister of State for Communications and Information, Janil Puthucheary, during the event, which was broadcast live on Facebook.
He gave the example of Mr. Steric Tan, 71, who volunteers as a Smart Nation ambassador to help other seniors learn to use smartphones and mobile apps.
When the circuit breaker was announced earlier this year to curb the spread of Covid-19, Tan taught seniors how to videoconference using WhatsApp and Zoom so they could stay in touch with their family and friends.
Mr. Tan also delivered virtual lessons on Zoom to teach seniors how to use SafeEntry to register at supermarkets when it was first introduced.
Dr. Janil said, “Smart Nation is not just for the youth, it is not just about the youth, and it is not just for the youth.
“Our older people have an equal role to play. They will benefit. They can teach us how to do this. They can take us along on the journey. We should never think that the older generation is somehow left behind.”
He added that the Government is committed to building an inclusive digital society, where all Singaporeans not only know how to connect, but also have the means to access digital platforms.
This year, the new SG Digital Office (SDO) was launched to recruit 1,000 digital ambassadors in late June to help merchants and seniors learn to use digital tools.
Since then, SDO has supported about 16,000 older people, Dr. Janil said.
Thirty SG Digital Community Hubs have also been established in Singapore, and 25 more can be expected in the coming months, he added.
SNDGO also launched an online platform this year where Singaporeans can learn new digital skills, such as coding, or learn about the latest technology trends, under the name #SmartNationTogether.
So far, more than 6,000 participants have benefited from 80 online programs for children, young parents, working adults and seniors, said Dr. Janil.
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