Published in D.R. number 96 (Series I-A) of 24 April 2001

Ministério da Ciência e da Tecnologia (Ministry for Science and Tecnology)

Decree-Law

The Knowledge and Information Society raises new challenges and obliges us to master new skills. It is vital that the widest possible proportion of the national population acquires a set of basis information technology skills that will thereby enable them to exercise in full their rights of citizenship.

The Government has therefore assumed the commitment to create a validation system of basic information technology skills, within the framework of measures to be implemented in order to achieve massification of Internet use and information technologies within the general population. This objective is identified in the Programme of the Government and reaffirmed in the Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 110/2000, of August 22 that approved the Internet Initiative.

A pilot training and validation system of basic information technology skills was launched in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, on initiative of the Ministry of Science and Technology with local co-ordination by the Science and Technology Advisory Service of the Presidency of the Regional Government. The objective of this initiative was to prepare the process at the national level, in a control and assessed manner.

On the basis of the experience acquired, it is now possible to launch a formal validation and recognition system of basic information technology citizenship skills at the national level. This initiative is to be implemented without prejudice to the promotion of other certification procedures of information technology skills aiming at various objectives, specifically the certification of professional skills, that will take place within the framework of the national professional certification system, or other forms of certification of scholastic apprenticeship.
This initiative will create a validation system of basic skills whose main objective is to encourage rapid familiarity of information technologies within the Portuguese public and accelerate the generalised use of the Internet in order to exercise full citizenship rights and foster greater social cohesion and combat info-exclusion.

Thus:

Under the terms of paragraph a) of point 1 of article 198 of the Portuguese Constitution, the Government decrees the following:

Article 1

1 - The diploma of basic information technology skills is hereby created, hereinafter called the diploma, as a means of formal validation of basic information technology skills that contribute towards full exercise of citizenship.

2 - The diploma does not by itself confer professional certification in the area of information technologies, without prejudice to the fact that consideration should be made of a certification process of professional skills.

3 - In the framework of basic training, the diploma is covered by the scope of Decree-Law no. 6/2001, of January 18, and other complementary legislation.

Article 2

Award of the diploma depends upon passing an exclusively practical examination, to which any person may apply.

Article 3

1 - The practical examination for award of the diploma aims to assess the following skills:

a) Write, print and save text;
b) Search information in the Internet;
c) Receive and send e-mail.

2 - For the purposes of the terms of the previous point, execution of the following tasks is required:

a) Create and name a file;
b) Type, save and print a specific text;
c) Access the World Wide Web;
d) Enter a chosen search engine;
e) Make a search on a specific topic and print one of the respective pages;
f) Enter an e-mail box;
g) Read a message received and print it
h) Send a message, attaching the previously typed text.

3 - The diploma will not be granted in the event of unsuccessful execution of any of the tasks specified in the previous point.

Article 4

1 - Accreditation criteria of entities that confer the diploma, the model and system whereby the diploma will be issued and other requirements and formalities related to obtaining the diploma shall be established by a joint administrative rule of the Ministers of Labour and Solidarity, Education, and Science and Technology.

2 - Without prejudice to fulfilment of the criteria set in the administrative rule specified in the previous point, the designation of the entities that shall confer the diploma, within the area of activity of the Ministries of Labour and Solidarity, Education and Science and Technology, shall be made by a simple ministerial order of the respective ministers.

3 - In order to further the objectives embraced by this diploma, the participation of entities from the association and co-operative sector is considered to be of relevance, as well as that of other private entities, in the process of validation of basic information technology skills specified by the present diploma.

Seen and approved in the Council of Ministers of March 1, 2001. - António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres - Eduardo Luís Barreto Ferro Rodrigues - Augusto Ernesto Santos Silva - José Mariano Rebelo Pires Gago.

Enacted on April 11, 2001.

Let this be published.

President of the Republic, Jorge Sampaio.

Counter-signed on April 12, 2001.

Acting Prime Minister, Jaime José Matos da Gama.