Computer courses for drug rehabilitation centre

People should not stigmatise society's problems but should do something about them to foster solidarity, Justice Minister Austin Gatt said yesterday.

Speaking during the opening of a new IT centre for residents at the Caritas-run San Blas drug rehabilitation centre in Zebbug, Dr Gatt said it was pointless using nice words if they were not translated into real initiatives.

He said the opening of the centre bore witness to the duty that the prime minister referred to when he said that everyone in society should be responsible.

Computer courses will be offered to the residents by a trained instructor in the new computer room which has around a dozen machines.

The courses will be at three levels: myWeb, which offers residents the opportunity to acquire basic computer and Internet skills, the European Computer Driving Licence, which will provide residents with a certificate of competence to enable them to carry out clerical work, and the advanced level of Cisco Networking Associates.

This initiative was made possible with the collaboration of Maltacom, Microsoft, the Demajo Group, Megabyte and Cisco Systems together with the eMalta commission, the Ministry of Justice and Local Government and Caritas.

In a message of encouragement to residents before he was shown round the centre by Caritas director Mgr Victor Grech, Dr Gatt said: "The problems you have are not just your personal ones, but also those of society as a whole.

"The thing that encourages me most is that I have friends who have been through programmes like this and have got better. Everyone knows it is not easy, but everything can be overcome if you have the will. Today's initiative is to strengthen that will."

Dr Gatt said the integrated programme would educate drug abusers to use a computer to a level of high proficiency if they wished and announced that they would be offered work placements by the private sector.

"I know people who have had no formal education but were employed with companies and have managed to become expert computer designers.

"After all, it's just a machine. It won't explode if you do something wrong; it will just reboot. All you need is imagination," Dr Gatt said.