Intel joins Ministry of Education to accelerate pace of ICT adoption

Following the Government’s recent announcement of 2009 being the year of English and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) adoption, Intel EM Limited joined hands with the Ministry of Education to formally lend its support to spur adoption of IT in the island.

The recepients with Intel and Ministry officals.

To this end, Minister of Education, Susil Premajayantha presented 425 Intel-powered Classmate PCs (CMPCs) to 19 schools across the island at Isurupaya, together with wireless connectivity provided by the Secondary Education Modernization Project (SEMP) of the Ministry.

Describing the initiative as part of Intel’s efforts to advance local ICT resources, Managing Director, Sales and Marketing, Intel South Asia, R. Sivakumar said, “Both Intel and the Sri Lankan Government recognize that IT is capable of transforming lives and the future of this country.

There is an urgent need for industry and Government to collaborate to need to educate people about the importance of ICT and following it as a career option. One such example of this collaboration is the Sri Lankan children using the Classmate PC, which is an affordable means of providing children with the advantages of technology - ranging from basic computer literacy and Internet access to critical thinking, communication, and the collaborative skills necessary to power Sri Lanka into the 21st century knowledge-based economy.”

The key focus of the recently-announced Information and Communication Technology (ICT) year is to make the general public aware of the opportunities and the capabilities of the Information and Communication Technology sector, increasing the ICT literacy rate and ultimately put in place a plan to ensure Sri Lanka has sufficient ICT resources to take the country to the next level on ICT-led development.

The Information and Communication Technology Agency which is the apex body of ICT in Sri Lanka, is looking to launch several e-Government projects which will be completed during the year such as the donation of these CMPCs.

The Government has also specially appointed a presidential task force comprising specialists in the industry from the public and private sector as well as other partners like the ICT Agency who will work to facilitate IT adoption in the country. Intel is committed to helping the Sri Lankan Government in these efforts.

Commending the efforts of the pubic-private sector partnership, Minister of Education Susil Premajayanth said, “To respond to the challenges facing the country, the ministry with the support of the Asian Development Bank and world technological leaders like Intel, has initiated several efforts that use technology to bridge the divide between urban and rural areas while generating continued economic and social progress across the country.”

The presentation of the Classmate PCs under the Intel World Ahead program is the second such deployment by Intel EM with the first set of 70 Classmate PCs launched in the Western and Central provinces.

In addition, teachers in the Western, Central and Uva provinces in Sri Lanka have participated in the Intel Teach program which has helped more than 5.5 million teachers in more than 40 countries effectively integrate technology into their classrooms to improve student learning.

Acting Secretary - Ministry of Education, S. U. Wijeratne, Additional Secretary - Ministry of Education, Mohamed Thamby, Additional Secretary - Ministry of Education, W. Dharmadasa, Director General, National Institute of Education Prof. Lal Perera, and Chief Operating Officer, ICT Agency, Reshan Devapura were also present.