Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 2009 – Intel EM Limited, in collaboration with the Secondary Education Modernization Project (SEMP) of the Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka, launched the latest phase of the Intel Education initiative in Ratnapura today bringing Intel® Teach program to the Sabaragamuwa Province. Adopted in over 40 countries around the world, Intel® Teach is aimed at enabling teachers to better exploit the full education potential of the technology age. The program has made tremendous headway in Sri Lanka as well, having already been successfully introduced to the Western, Central and Uva Provinces last year. Over 7,500 teachers have already been trained under this program in the Island.

Indika de Zoysa, Country Business Manager, Intel EM Limited, Sri Lanka Liaison office said, “The benefits of technology have permeated various areas of personal development, but its most manifest and tangible results are seen in education. Intel together with the Ministry of Education believes it is important that Sri Lanka receives these benefits so as to afford our student populations the same technological advantage and opportunity for progress reaped by students around the world. We are thankful to the Ministry for all the support they have given us in taking this program to so many parts of the country already, without whom this project would could not have been the success it is.’

Intel® Teach in-service program is a professional development program that trains teachers who are already working in schools.  This program aims to improve the instructional strategies of teachers and interactive quality of lessons by harnessing a technology-supported learning environment in the classroom.  It familiarizes teachers on how best to use technological resources in a lesson so as to promote problem solving and critical thinking skills among students and inculcate independent learning. 

Elaborating on the Ministry of Education’s ICT education initiatives, Mr. Anura Dissanayake, Director, Secondary Education Modernization Project (SEMP) of Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka noted that, “Though the Government sector uses ICT, the private sector leads us technologically in this area. They have the resources and the ability to innovate. We have to get the benefits from them. Because of this, as the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka, we have grabbed the opportunity given by Intel, the world’s leading technology firm. With the help of Intel’s programs we are looking forward to creating an e-society in Sri Lanka. I hope that with the help of this technology and training, teachers will be better equipped to teach and students would learn in a colorful world. With that, we would be able to change the lifestyles of Sri Lankans.”

The introduction of the program to a province in Sri Lanka is preceded by an Intel® Teach Directors Leadership Technology Forum, which introduces to officials and education directors of the Ministry of Education from the respective zones of a given Province, the nature and services of the program, equipping them with the expertise necessary to present the program to schools in their zones. The most recent forum was held at the Parakaduwa training centre in Ratnapura in April and was presented to the Directors of Education in the Sabaragamuwa Province.

Commending this joint initiative of the Ministry of Education and Intel, the participating zonal directors pointed out that the forum had helped them better understand the value of the Intel Teach initiative. They felt that they were now better equipped to brief the schools in their region and motivate them to participate in the program. They were confident that this valuable partnership between the Ministry of Education and Intel would reap several benefits for their respective zones too just as it has done for the Western, Central, and Uva provinces.

The status and vision of ICT in education in the Sabaragamuwa Province was laid out by Mr. P. Kodithuwakku, Chief Secretary of Sabaragamuwa province, Mr. S. Kuruppuarachchi, Sabaragamuwa Province Project Manager SEMP, and Ms. Suneetha ICT coordinator from the province while Mr. Tilak Ekanayake, Central Province Project Manager SEMP commented on the department’s past experience with the Intel® Teach Education initiative in the Central and Uva Provinces. The Intel® Teach Education Team together with Program Manager Priyantha K. Weerabahu, presented the curriculum and services of the program in the light of the competitiveness and demands of the rapidly growing 21^st century knowledge economy. 

Others who participated in the event included Mr. R. Abeysingha, Education Director of Sabaragamuwa province, Directors of Education and ICT Coordinators of the Sabaragamuwa province.

About Intel

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