Mr. Abdulwaheed Khan, UNESCO Assistant Director General for Communications & Information, and Maggie Wilderotter, Microsoft Senior Vice-President Business Strategy, signed a Letter Of Intent detailing the collaboration and the parties' common vision to help improve school and university teaching and learning in developing countries. Microsoft's Chairman and Chief Software Architect, Bill Gates, attended the signing ceremony.
Jointly supported initiatives will offer basic ICT skills training materials for students, teachers, and the broader community, and other resources to promote the effective and appropriate use of ICT in education. In addition, Microsoft and UNESCO will work together to: improve access to technology through affordable software and refurbished computer initiatives; foster collaboration between UNESCO's Community Multi-Media Centers and Microsoft's Community Technology Learning Centres (CTLCs); and explore integration of a Microsoft-based Open Application Sharing platform with UNESCO's global education programs. The collaboration will draw on resources from Microsoft's Partners in Learning and Unlimited Potential initiatives.
"This collaboration will permit UNESCO and Microsoft to draw on their respective resources and programs to help improve education in developing nations, through the effective and appropriate use of modern information and communication technologies," said Khan.
"As an industry leader, Microsoft has a vision to improve worldwide access to lifelong learning by making ICT training materials available to students, teachers and the broader community through schools and community technology access points. We will work together with UNESCO to achieve this vision together by making our global community programs, technology and experience available to UNESCO, and build on their important world-wide initiatives." said Wilderotter.
UNESCO's current programme priorities include the improvement of school and university teaching and learning in developing nations through the effective and appropriate use of modern information and communication technologies.
"This agreement recognizes our common vision for promoting the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to support education and learning. It also builds on our strategy for strengthening national human resources in university-level teaching and research in basic science and engineering disciplines," added Khan.
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UNESCO and Microsoft announce technology and education collaboration
- Egypt: Sunday, January 25 - 2004 at 16:36
- PRESS RELEASE
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Microsoft Corporation announced today, at the Government Leadership Forum Arabia, a new collaboration to enhance opportunities for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills development in the formal and non-formal education sectors.
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About Microsoft Unlimited PotentialMicrosoft has committed $1 billion in cash, software, curriculum and technology assistance over the next five years to Unlimited Potential to help reduce the global digital divide. Since May 2003, the company has made grants of cash and software totalling nearly $50 million to more than 150 organizations in 45 countries.
Microsoft Unlimited Potential is a global program that focuses on improving lifelong learning for underserved young people and adults by providing technology skills through community-based organizations around the world.
Microsoft provides community centres with funding to launch or sustain IT skills training programs, including hiring and training technology instructors, and expanding course offerings to reach a broader base of underserved community members.
Microsoft has developed curricula that emphasize real-world technology applications and will initially be available in English, French, German and Spanish. In the near future, Microsoft will work with partners to launch a global support network to deliver technology research, tools and services to training centres worldwide.
More information can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/citizenship/.
About Microsoft Partners in Learning
Partners in Learning provides a significant investment of software and more than $250 million (U.S.) in cash grants worldwide over the next five years to support information and communication technology skills training for students and teachers, tailored curriculum development, and technical support. Partners in Learning also include significantly lower prices for Microsoft's core educational desktop software for students and teachers.
About Microsoft Corporation
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device.
About UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was created in 1945 to build peace in the minds of men through the free flow of ideas and knowledge. UNESCO works as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. It also helps Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields - education, science, culture and communications. UNESCO works to create the conditions for true dialogue, based upon respect for commonly shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture. The world urgently requires global visions of sustainable development based upon observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which lie at the heart of UNESCO's mission and activities.
The Communication and Information Sector (CI) was established in 1990. The three principal strategic objectives of the Sector's programmes are: (1) promoting the free flow of ideas and universal access to information, (2) promoting the expression of pluralism and cultural diversity in the media and world information networks, and (3) promoting access for all to ICTs.
For more information please contact
Microsoft contact:
Yousef Khalili
Regional Communications & PR Manager
Middle East
Microsoft Middle East and Africa (MEA)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: 00-9714-3917218
Fax: 00-9714-3917001
Media contact:
Iman Ghorayeb
ASDA'A Public Relations
Tel: 00-9714-3344550
Fax: 00-9714-3344556
Posted by Anne-Birte Stensgaard, Senior News EditorSunday, January 25 - 2004 at 16:36 UAE local time (GMT+4)
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