Intel assists educators in the south to become more ICT friendly

Intel believes that the key to solving global challenges lies amongst the young people of the world. As a result, the company has initiated a global programme to effectively integrate technology and education to ensure that the youth is sufficiently skilled to face the challenges of today’s world.

The Intel Teach Directors Leadership Technology Forum was recently launched for officials of the Ministry of Education in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. The forum was held in Unawatuna, Galle and it is hoped that by instructing educators and getting them enthused about the use of ICT in education, students too will become eager and comfortable about doing so.

The forum, which was attended by zonal directors of education and other officials in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, was an introduction to the Intel Teach In-service Teacher Training programme.

The programme offers teachers professional development supporting skills that have become commonplace in the 21st century. The Intel Teach Programme has proven to be the most successful programme of its kind around the world as it promotes a student-centred approach which helps teachers to encourage students to use technology in appropriate ways for learning, creativity and communication.

So far, over 17,000 teachers from the Western, Uva, Central, Sabaragamuwa, Northern and Eastern Provinces in Sri Lanka have been successfully trained under this programme.

Prior to introducing the Intel Teach programme, the forum discussed the present status of ICT in the Southern Province of the country while laying out the vision for the future role of ICT, especially in the field of education in the province.

It is expected that by sharing this insight, the forum can provide direction and guidance to educators while giving them possible options for developing lesson plans that are best suited for the students of the province.

Speaking at the event Indika de Zoysa, Country Business Manager, Intel EM Limited, Sri Lanka Liaison Office said: “It is important for ICT to be tightly integrated with education in an appropriate manner. By launching DLTF in the Southern Province, Intel hopes that teachers and educators in the region will be able to identify the opportunities as well as the available tools and resources to use ICT in learning and help them utilise them effectively. It is part of Intel’s commitment to providing the youth with digital literacy which is crucial for them to succeed in the present world.”

The Ministry of Education has also identified the need to foster ICT in education and has many initiatives which it has implemented to achieve this goal.

Anura Dissanayake, Additional Director Ministry of Education and Project Director EKSP, prior to the event said: “We are pleased that organisations such as Intel are investing in the youth of our country by training educators on how best to integrate technology with learning.”

The Chief Guest Provincial Director of Education Kithsiri Liyanagamage thanked Intel for introducing a world class teacher training programme to the Southern Province. The Additional Director of Education and EKSP Project Manager B. Jayatissa mentioned that the Intel Teach was the best teacher training programme they had received up to now as per the feedback from other provinces.

Independent evaluation of the Intel Teach Programme has revealed that 91% of teachers who are participating in the programme reported their students were ‘motivated and involved in the lesson’.

In addition, 81% of participating teachers reported that ‘student projects showed more in-depth understanding’ than comparable work. Thus, it is apparent that initiatives such as the Intel Teach Programme are effective tools in preparing young people of our nation to face the expectations of a technologically advanced world.