RIYADH, 11 December 2003 — Saudi schools and welfare organizations in the Kingdom will be the major beneficiaries under Microsoft’s new global policy to bridge the digital divide and allow the benefits of the IT revolution to be felt at all levels of society.
At a joint interview on Tuesday, Jonathan Murray, Microsoft’s chief technology officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Saad M. Al-Qahtani, public sector manager of Microsoft Arabia, told Arab News that two of the technology policy initiatives that should be of interest to the Kingdom were Partners in Learning (PIL) and Unlimited Potential. These initiatives announced by Microsoft last month would soon be launched in the Kingdom.
Murray said that the PIL initiative would be extended to other Gulf states as well. He said Microsoft would offer both Windows and Office at discounted prices to educational systems. “We don’t want cost to be a barrier when it comes to equipping children with IT knowledge.”
He explained that the other component, Unlimited Potential, would be a donation program to which the company would commit $1 billion over the next five years. “This will enable us to work with local governments and non-profit organizations in setting up local community technology centers. The beneficiaries will be people who don’t have access to technology, information and training. It will be implemented in the Kingdom as well.”
Murray said Microsoft would also set up a teacher training program to qualify teachers. All schoolchildren should have access to IT and the Internet with those who cannot afford the training cost receiving it free of charge.
Al-Qahtani said that Microsoft had introduced a Windows-2003-based Class Server program that facilitates access to e-learning. It has been tailored to the needs of schools and makes available on the Internet curriculum, textbook contents, students’ records, information about teachers and other relevant details. Some private schools in the Kingdom have also acquired the technology as part of their e-learning program.
