Intel Egypt's Platform Definition Center spurs innovation - offers grassroots IT support in Africa

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The move extends Intel's World Ahead program initiatives in Nigeria to a grassroot's level and is aimed at integrating Intel's efforts in accessibility, connectivity, content and education in the West African nation.

The Classmate PC, designed by Intel's Platform Definition Center in Cairo, offers a complete solution with integrated software and hardware, delivering an end-to-end solution for education involving students, parents, teachers and schools in a student-friendly form. The product is set to enhance students' learning experience at an affordable price with minimal IT infrastructure.

'After conducting extensive research on the needs of the underdeveloped markets, it was evident that in order to provide connectivity to the next billion users, an affordable IT solution had to be made available to remote communities,' said Khaled Elamrawi, General Manager, Intel Egypt, LEVANT and North Africa.

'The research revealed two main issues that hindered the underdeveloped world from using computers: affordability and localized content. As such, Intel's Platform Definition Center in Egypt took the initiative of partnering with local hardware and software vendors to not only extend affordable PC access, but to develop the right PCs tailored to the local needs of the students.'

Commenting on the launch in Nigeria, Gordon Graylish, Intel® Corporation's Vice President Sales and Marketing Group and General Manager, Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) said, 'As a worldwide technology leader, Intel is committed to playing a positive and important role in facilitating information and communication technology focus to prepare children and youth for the demands of tomorrow,'

'Africa has tremendous potential as a developing continent and Intel's World Ahead program will develop many exciting initiatives that aim to enhance lives by accelerating access to uncompromised technology for everyone. The program integrates Intel's efforts in accessibility, connectivity and education and provides a multiplier effect to accelerate the next wave of gains.'

Prior to its roll-out in selected developing countries as part of its World Ahead initiative, the Government Secondary School Jabi in Abuja is the showcase for Intel's Classmate PC, a lightweight, rugged device designed especially for learning environments.

Nigeria's Minister of Education was present for the announcement and urged schools to embrace the opportunity to bring technology into Nigerian classrooms and said the country could not be left behind in the information, communication and technology (ICT) age.

Each Classmate PC will come pre-installed with an education software stack that is designed to support an advanced e-classroom environment with a new level of student-to-teacher classroom interaction. The software also includes three distinctive control elements that allows teachers to control classroom content; ensures the security of the device and limits Internet access.

Teacher Control allows teachers to assemble and take control of a wireless virtual classroom between the teachers and student devices. Theft Control helps to protect the school and family investment in the student devices by rendering them useless when they are removed from the classroom for too long. And Policy Control will prevent students from running programs and gaining access to websites that are not sponsored and approved by the school and parents.

Additional Math and Science learning materials will be made available from Skoool™, a major digital education content program developed by Intel worldwide to demonstrate the best models for learning and teaching with advanced digital content and to stimulate the digital media publishing industries worldwide to publish more quality curriculum materials.

Intel is working in collaboration with the Nigeria MOE and Total-Elf to complete a version of Skoool™ customised for Nigeria's national curriculum by early 2007.