Pairash Thajchayapong, executive board member of Nectec, said the aim was to enhance competence and improve the efficiency of CIO's in government and private sectors. It will also help to provide good government services to customers.

Nectec will provide information technology and network infrastructure, Thammasat University will take care of the development of course curriculum, and Waseda and George Mason University will utilise their knowledge and transfer their experience as well as information technology to students via video conferencing on Asia broadband network.  

"We believe the course will make a considerable contribution to society," said Pairash.

Kovit Charnvitayapong, director of the College of Innovative Education at Thammasat University, said the programme would help organisations improve the standard of their CIOs.

"The college is confident that it can create CIOs with vision, who are able to implement model schemes and objective plans for their organisation and their country," said Kovit.

J P Auffret, director of the technology management programme at George Mason University in the United States, said the CIO curriculum could improve electronic government services.

The master's degree course will open in the first semester in November. The total course will cost around Bt400,000. Students who apply for the programme must be bachelor's degree graduates and work as a CIO or acting CIO of a government organisation or a business.

Jirapan Boonnoon

The Nation