Microsoft in IT literacy tie-up with schools

Microsoft Corporation India is starting a campaign to take computer literacy to school level on a pan-India basis and will be tying up with some top 150 elite schools in the country.

As a starter to this nationwide effort - called the Connected Learning Program - the Indian subsidiary of the world's largest software company has already tied up with two schools in Bangalore - Bishop's Cottonwood and Little Flower school.

"We are starting out with those schools which have resources to spend on computers and other software," business group leader in Microsoft, Kartik Padmanabhan, said. The 150 schools will be covered by the end of this financial year, he said.

It may be recalled that earlier this year Microsoft India had introduced a Student and Teachers Edition of Office 2003 - sold at a cost lower to its normal edition. This aggressive promotion of information technology in schools is a part of this initiative.

However, investment figures in this project were not available since it is part of a larger initiative by the company to inculcate IT literacy in India.

The tie-up with schools does not end with providing inputs to the school, but also involves interacting with parents and to impart sufficient training to them.

Padmanabhan said a special focus is being given to mothers, "since they are usually associated with educating children at home."

So the company has introduced the concept of running IT clinics targeted at mothers.

A survey by the company had shown that usage of computers among children is restricted to gaming. "Apart from that they do not really use computers and usage is more with other elders in the family," said Padmanabhan.

Incidentally, this initiative is part of Microsoft's developmental activities in the country and is undertaken on a non-profit basis.

In 2000, when Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates had visited India he had announced Smart School, an educational program to support computer education in around 1,000 schools in Karnataka.