Thursday, August 19, 2004 Microsoft, Cedf-it partner on lab
THE importance of the Cebu market to software development company Microsoft has encouraged the company to partner with organizations such as the Cebu Educational Development for Information Technology (Cedf-it).
“We are using Cebu as our take-off point in the Visayas and Mindanao... That is why we have these things (partnership with Cedf-it),” Microsoft Philippines general manager Antonio Javier said.
Microsoft and Cedf-it launched their partnership project, the Partners in Learning (PIL) IT Teachers laboratory, two weeks ago with Micro-soft’s turnover of the teachers’ laboratory to Cedf-it.
Javier told Sun.Star that PIL, which has three pillars, is Microsoft’s biggest program in the Philippines.
He said Microsoft spent $2.5 billion last year just for the rollout of the initial phase for the first pillar of the program, which is training the trainers.
In Cebu, Microsoft spent for the purchase of the server, software and training programs for Cedf-it’s IT teachers laboratory.
Microsoft and the Philippine Business for Social Progress also provided 20 computer units for the laboratory.
First leg
“We are happy that we (Microsoft) are given the chance to provide for the laboratory, which is part of the first leg of our PIL program,” Microsoft academic affairs director Samuel Jacoba II said.
The other pillars of Microsoft’s PIL program are providing software at almost giveaway prices to give opportunities to Filipinos in the IT field.
Jacoba said Cedf-it’s laboratory is Microsoft’s first partnership with an organization outside Metro Manila.
The PIL is a partnership between Microsoft and the Department of Education. (JBN)
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