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| Sunday, 9 November 2003 |
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Collaboration to improve IT infrastructure and services The Government and Microsoft Corporation of USA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last week to support the E-Sri Lanka Initiative. The MoU will provide a multi-million dollar investment from Microsoft in technology, training, educational assistance and infrastructure support over a five-year period. Microsoft also announced the formation of a Sri Lankan subsidiary by the end of 2003. The MoU was signed in Washington by the Economic Reform and ICT Minister, Milinda Moragoda and Sanjay Mirchandani, President, Microsoft Asia Pacific, in the presence of the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Brad Smith, Microsoft's Senior Vice-President and General Counsel. The Sri Lankan Government hailed the move as a positive step in building a thriving information technology economy and said it expected to reap far-reaching benefits for the country. "We are delighted to have Microsoft help us to take technology to the people of Sri Lanka. Microsoft's involvement in the E-Sri Lanka initiative will improve our processes for our citizens' interaction with Government and their interaction within communities. Microsoft's participation also demonstrates the confidence that a world class corporation such as Microsoft has in the economic potential of the country and in the progress that is being made by the private sector", said Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft said: "The agreement and our ongoing investment underscore our belief in the long-term potential of Sri Lanka and our commitment to its people. We are excited about contributing to economic growth through the creation of a vibrant information technology sector in Sri Lanka and the productivity gains, jobs and revenue it can create". Echoing Steve Ballmer's comment, Brad Smith added: "Together with the Sri Lankan ICT ministry, we wish to contribute to the building of a healthy IT ecosystem, and provide the community with technology, tools and training to help close the digital divide and build a brighter future. Our establishment of a Sri Lankan subsidiary in our Asia Pacific region will afford us the opportunity to work hand in hand with other industry leaders, the IT community and the Government in working toward these goals". Besides opening a Sri Lankan subsidiary and headquarters office in the country by the end of this year, Microsoft also announced it would establish an innovation centre to show proof of concept and pilot programs to provide government services directly and more efficiently to more Sri Lankans as part of the government's effort to build e-government solutions. The Innovation Centre will also allow local Sri Lanka IT companies to test and refine their own products and industry solutions, bringing them to market more quickly and allowing them to promote their offerings outside as well. Microsoft will work with local academic institutions and linguistic experts to produce localised Sinhalese and Tamil versions of Windows under the company's Language Interface Pack programme. The MoU also outlines a number of educational projects that will be supported by Microsoft. Chief among these is the Partners in Learning programme, which will provide expanded technology access to schools throughout the country. In Sri Lanka, the program will provide free-of-charge licences for the Windows operating system to older PCs donated to Sri Lankan schools, a dramatically reduced price for programs used in schools and a significant investment in teacher and student training. The company will establish an IT Academy Center to provide training and curriculum development and fund programs to encourage technology innovation in teaching. All Microsoft IT Academy that allows secondary students to be exposed to cutting edge technology and receive Microsoft IT certification at graduation, as a contribution toward workforce development within the country will also be established. Microsoft will also establish a Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance which will work with Computer Science and Engineering departments in five universities to ensure the best possible curriculum and tools for Sri Lankan university students and provide funding to improve IT instruction within these institutions. |
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