Microsoft to train 20,000 teachers

Microsoft India and the Tamil Nadu government on Monday signed an MoU, under which the former will help set up an 'information technology academy' in the city to provide comprehensive training programme to nearly 20,000 teachers in the state for a period of five years.

Signed in the presence of Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, the government would provide the building and the software major would set up a world class facility equipped with a state-of-the-art IT lab encompassing hardware, software, curriculum and staff for education delivery and administration free of cost, an official release said on Monday.

Under the project, 'Partners in Learning Programme', teachers would receive computer training in batches of 40 over the next five years.

Each batch would get 12 days of residential training. Microsoft would also assist the state government in designing the curriculum, providing courseware for students and in assessment.

Apart from this, teachers in batches of 20, would be trained in five district institutes of educational training across the state by Microsoft.

In the five-year MoU period, the training is expected to benefit around 20,000 teachers and indirectly reach over 10 lakh students in the state.

The Memorandum of Understanding would also entail the formulation and implementation of a comprehensive teacher training programme, rolling out of teacher and student scholarship programmes besides assisting the government in setting up a teachers' portal.

Ravi Venkatesan, chairman of Microsoft India, who signed the MoU along with school education secretary, Girija Vaidyanathan, said his company would develop software much more accessible to schools at affordable cost for the benefit of teachers and students.

Jayalalithaa appreciated the efforts taken by the software company to implement the project in the state and wished all success for the project.