Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training signed an agreement with chipmaker Intel on April 9 to accelerate its e-learning initiative.
The initiative is aimed at modernizing Vietnam’s education system by 2011 and providing opportunities for teachers and students especially in remote and rural areas.
Under the terms of the agreement, Intel and local technology companies will make available one million affordable PCs in the next two years. The “Education PC” program’s objective is to provide all Vietnamese teachers a PC with educational software and broadband Internet connectivity.
Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan and Intel chairman Dr. Craig Barrett witnessed the signing ceremony, at which US ambassador Michael Michalak was also present.
The ministry and Intel also announced a contest to encourage teachers to create e-learning content.
The winner will be announced at the end of the year.
Mr. Nhan and Mr. Barrett expressed a shared vision of accelerated ICT adoption in key sectors like education as a cornerstone of the country’s strategy for sustained competitiveness in the global knowledge economy.
The initiatives they announced represent the acceleration of an agreement Intel and the ministry made in 2007 to increase technology access to advance the quality of education in Vietnam.
“We recognize the value of a technology-enabled learning environment where education is student-centric, and where learning is collaborative and connected,” Mr. Nhan said.
“Public-private partnerships such as those between the ministry and Intel have the potential to unlock a nation’s talent for sustained competitiveness.
“We believe today’s announcements represent significant cornerstones of Vietnam’s future success through technology-enabled education.”
