CDB donates new IT Lab to Kandapola Mahinda Maha Vidyalaya
Saturday, 10 May 2014 00:00
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With the aim of nurturing IT education
Citizens Development Business Finance PLC (CDB) recently presented Kandapola Mahinda Maha Vidyalaya with a much-awaited new IT lab under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project – ‘CDB Pariganaka Piyasa’, with the objective of contributing towards and enhancing IT literacy among students island-wide. Located in the Nuwara Eliya District, the Kandapola Mahinda Maha Vidyalaya provides schooling to 215 students and facilitates studies up to GCE Ordinary Levels.
CDB Director and Chief Finance Officer Damith Tennakoon was also present on the occasion, along with other senior members of CDB who handed over the IT lab to the school. This donation marks the seventh such lab provided by CDB to schools, with the total value of the project worth over Rs. 1.5 million. This state-of-the-art IT lab is equipped with HP computers, LCD monitors, printers, stationery, scanners, computer tables, chairs and other infrastructure. A Sri Lanka Telecom ADSL Internet facility was also included in the donation.
Expressing his gratitude, Kandapola Mahinda Maha Vidiyalaya Principal W.H.M. Jayathilaka said: “Education today is interconnected with technology which has become part and parcel of our lives. Our children were deprived of an IT education and access to the Internet for a very long time. This gift by CDB has exposed our community to IT skills and is an important milestone in the history of our school. We are deeply grateful to CDB for this initiative. Not only will it enrich our school but also our entire community in Kandapola. Over 150 families live in Kandapola and the surrounding villages.”
Speaking at the occasion, Tennakoon said: “We have been conducting IT lab projects for the past five years as part of our strategic CSR to enhance IT education among rural youth. The world is becoming increasingly interconnected as well as competitive. In this context, young people must keep up with the competition and build networks to strengthen their employability.”
Situating the project in the context of CDB’s ethos, Tennakoon added: “The country’s long-term economic progress is invariably connected to opportunities. In view of this, our CSR strategy focuses on taking a practical approach to improve IT literacy amongst young children in rural areas of the country. We believe that this initiative will help students be more connected to the world at large and pave the way for them to acquire a more enriched and informed world view.”
CSR has been a vital part of the Institution’s success for many years. The CDB Technology Centre or ‘Pariganaka Piyasa’ Lab donations have been integrated into the core of its ongoing CSR projects. As part of its national drive to increase IT literacy, CDB plans to carry out more projects of this nature in other parts of the country.
