A BRIEF HISTORY OF COMPUTING AND IT IN NEPAL
Introduction:
The capabilities and design of computers developed rapidly through the forties and fifties, with the first office application appearing in 1951. In the early days of computing, most computer operations were limited to calculations. The programs that drove them had to communicate directly with the hardware elements of the computer. As we know today, information technology could never have reached this height without the development of natural language programming. With the concept of compiler and interpreter being possible, the drastic change in the world of computers was inevitable. This advancement enriched the capabilities of programming and made more complicated instructions possible. In the late 1960s, with the development of screens-keyboards-text editors and languages such as FORTRAN and COBOL, programming was available to those interested in business, rather than only to scientists and engineers.
Body:
The history of computing in Nepal is not that old since Nepal had not made any contributions to the development and evolution of computers. Computers were introduced in Nepal only in 1972. This step was taken by his Majesty’s government, Birendra Bir Bikram Shah for the population census of 2028 B.S. This was a second-generation computer of IBM Corporation called IBM 1401. The records claim that the government had paid Rs 1,25,000/- per month as a fare for renting this computer.
For the proper use of computers and continuous processing, it was essential to operate the computer for days and nights. For the same reason, a separate branch was established that went by the name of Electronic Data Processing Center. The name was later changed to NCC. This computer, however, was later purchased by the National Computer Center(NCC). It is said that the computer, along with the manpower utilized, spent 1.7 years to complete the census.
In 2038 B.S, a fourth-generation computer was imported with the financial aid of UNDP and UNFPA from the Queen’s land for a whopping sum of 20 Million USD. This computer, which went by the name of ICL 2950/10 had 64 terminals. As of now, we can find this rare device in the national museum of NCC, Singhadurbar, since it is outdated. This computer completed its purpose of completing the census in a year and 3 months.
At that time, the British government had helped develop the manpower of NCC. In the meantime, Nepali students went to India, Thailand, and even the USA to gain computer education themselves. In 2039 B.S., microcomputers such as Apple, Vector, Sins, etc were imported by private companies and individuals. Multiple private companies like Computer Consultancy(CC), Management Information Processing System(MIPS), Data System International (DSI), etc were established. Such private institutions started selling computers and training manpower to make Nepal an independent nation as per the requirement of time.
Surendra Kumar Singh is considered the first IT Professional of Nepal. He was hired by NCC. Later on, he started Nepal’s first private sector training institute and a sales company that went by the name of MIPS. The institute, MIPS located in Bagbazar then used to sell Macintosh computers. Mercantile, their competitive organization was doing other electronic goods, but not the computers. Mercantile however later held a grasp of IBM computers selling market in Nepal.
At that time, Nepal Rashtriya Bank (NRB), Nepal Telecom, Office of the Controller of Examinations, Tribhuvan University, Office of Employee Provident Fund, Nepal Electricity Authority, Hetauda Cement Factory were few of the companies that had operated computers to some extent at their workplace.
Nowadays, computers with faster processing and larger storage capacity can be found cheaply in the Nepali market. Students are given computer education from the school level. At present time, the Computer Association of Nepal, CAN in short is the governing body of Nepal. It was established to assisting the utilization, enhancement, and promotion of Information and Computer Technology within the country and to play as the major body in facilitating private ICT organizations. They also develop strategies that help meet the necessary requirements for the development of literacy and skills regarding computer science.
The Internet which was first introduced in the seventies was only known to researchers in universities for more than a decade. The creation of the World Wide Web, which began in 1990, transformed the Internet into an accessible vehicle for information sharing.
Bringing in a way like an assembly level computer in Nepal and then further selling PCs under their brand name was initiated by Mercantile. In the 90s, some Nepali people already had personal computers in their homes. Most of these computers were brought in by people who worked as admins/teachers in Gurkha camps such as Hongkong. Those computers only supported DOS versions. During the Windows 95 era, there were only 3 companies that provided the dial-up internet facility. Namely, these companies were Worldlink, Mercantile, and Infocom. They used to charge Rs 5,400 for a 100 hour worth of internet usage which was valid only for 3 months. This, however still was the cheapest plan even when the telephone bill was not included. With the Windows 98 era, however, the computer business started blooming.
The history of Computer Education in Nepal can be traced back as early as the 1930s when the Technical Training Institute was established. It was later reformed as the current Institute of Engineering, in 1972. Since then, Nepal has striven gradually in technical education. Currently, there are six universities providing education in different disciplines.
The basis of higher-level computer education was laid in 1994 when IOE started the program of Bachelor in Electronics Engineering. Later in 1998, IOE started a Bachelor's degree program in Computer Engineering. In addition to this, Tribhuvan University has also been offering computer-related educational courses in various degrees through the Institute of Science and Technology.
In this way, we can see that the history of IT and computing doesn’t date back more than a couple of decades back in Nepal. Even though the initiation phase of introduction was late, we can feel proud enough to say that we have quite easily tried to catch up with the advancements that the world has to offer. The growth has been rapid. Nepal finds itself quickly adapting to the new technologies offered and also has skilled professionals who can shock the world with their tricks up their sleeves.
Along with the growth of technological advancements worldwide, there has been a paradigm shift in business models, and the present society is found to be more reliant on technology. The market dynamics seem to have changed too. One may see many organizations using computers nowadays. So, more and more job opportunities are being created in the IT sectors, even in Nepal. The worldwide notion of expanding technology in every part of Earth has been duly acknowledged by policymakers in Nepal. Thus, the government has formulated its plan accordingly.
The first IT law ever to be legislated in Nepal was “The Electronic Transactions Act of 2008”. The objectives of this act were to make a legal provision for authentication and registration of electronic data. We can read about this law on the website for law commission. This gave the basis for the creation and use of digital signatures also while cyber or computer-related crimes were overseen by a governing body and its act. We can also express that the introduction of this act has helped protect the confidentiality of the citizens.
To fulfill this need for an IT policy in Nepal, the government of Nepal formulated the “Information Technology Policy of 2000”. This can be read on this website. This policy declared information technology as a priority sector and boosted the research activities in IT. The policy also promised to ensure a conducive environment to attract the private sector’s investment in IT. Overall, the policy had high hopes of establishing Nepal in the global market through the use of IT.
Conclusion:
However, there is a very low reach of technology in rural areas of Nepal even now. The reason surely is the lack of IT infrastructure, literacy. This is one of the reasons there is a vast gap in our knowledge and aptitude level in Nepal compared to other countries. Those students who get early exposure to IT and computers are likely to grow interest and skills in the respective field later in life and those who don’t, may not be able to. Yet, if given proper training the difference among the students can be minimized to a large extent. This just might reduce social differentiation and inequality.
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