Microsoft IT Academy in Rajasthan

Microsoft IT Academy in Rajasthan

Nycil George, Mar 06, 2006 1619 hrs IST

Microsoft India in association with the Govt of Rajasthan, has announced the launch of the MS IT Academy in Rajasthan.

Microsoft India in association with the Education Department
and the Government of Rajasthan, has announced the formal launch of the Microsoft IT Academy in the state of Rajasthan.

The IT Academy is situated in Jaipur, and according to Microsoft, will serve as a pivotal point for imparting IT training to teachers across the state of Rajasthan.

This is a key deliverable of the MoU signed between Microsoft and the Government of Rajasthan in August 2005 for implementation of Microsoft's Partners-in-Learning program, and falls within the purview of the Rajasthan Education Initiative.

The Jaipur IT Academy is located at Radhakrishnan Shiksha Sankul, JLN Marg, and covers an area of over 3000 sq ft. The facility is equipped with a state-of-the-art IT lab - complete with the latest hardware, software, curriculum and staff for effective delivery of IT training for school teachers.

Twenty PCs will be used for the routine training process. The IT Academy Manager who is required to visit various schools across the state to ensure consistency in the delivery process, has been reportedly provided with a laptop. To ensure wider participation and local relevance, the IT training courseware is translated
into Hindi in partnership with the state education department.

Under the MoU - over the next 5 years, Microsoft aims to accelerate IT integration in education amongst 8000 teachers and over 400,000 students (from Class III to Class XII) across 3,000 Government schools in the state. As per the agreement with the Government of Rajasthan, Microsoft is committed to offer a 12 day training program free-of-cost for participating teachers to equip them to be able to use technology in teaching students in a classroom environment.

Commenting on the partnership, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje, said, "Our partnership with Microsoft compliments our government's unique focus for leveraging technology to create a skilled resource base in our state, comprising of the next generation of IT professionals. Driven by this vision, our Rajasthan Education Initiative is focused on enabling widespread advancements in the education sector. Our partnership with Microsoft is a key deliverable here, and we are confident that the IT Academy set up today will encourage early adoption of technologies by both students and teachers across government schools in the state."

Elaborating on Microsoft's vision for IT education, Peter Moore, managing director - public sector, Microsoft Asia Pacific, said, "We firmly believe technology holds tremendous potential for transforming the traditional classroom environment and helping students and teachers learn more in a dynamic and interactive manner. Towards meeting this objective, our Partners-in-Learning program is geared to deliver the latest technology solutions in ways that are affordable and accessible for the education community, and ultimately help create an educational experience that connects, removes limitations and creates opportunities today and for the future."