- Celebrates one year of promoting access to quality education in developing countries through implementation of ICT solutions and scholarships
- More than USD 1 million in new commitments for scholarships for secondary school students in Africa
- Some 5,000 students now have access to quality education in schools throughout Millennium Villages in Africa
- Wireless operators Entel in Chile and Lime in Jamaica join the public-private partnership
One year after its official launch, Connect To Learn announces milestones in technology deployments and partnerships for bringing a 21st century education to students in Africa, South America and the Caribbean.
In connection with telecommunication operator Bharti Airtel, some 5,000 students now have access to quality education in three countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Ghana, Tanzania and Kenya.
Connect to Learn today announced that wireless operators Entel in Chile and Lime in Jamaica are joining, bringing the initiative to South America and the Caribbean, where hundreds more students will benefit from the program.
Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson, said: “We believe that ICT can be a transformative force in bringing access to a quality education to all communities, even the poorest and most rural, and cloud computing will be a game changer.
“The opportunities that mobile broadband technology can provide should be available to all children across the world. This is what we mean by ‘Technology for Good,’” concluded Vestberg.
Connect To Learn has raised more than USD 1 million to be used for scholarships for secondary school students, girls’ dormitories and educational resources in the Millennium Villages in Africa. A comprehensive scholarship program has been developed and initiated in four schools in Ghana and Tanzania.
"Connect to Learn is a thrilling example of how advances in technology and development strategies can improve education, gender equality, and overall wellbeing," said Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. "Connect To Learn enables schools in remote rural villages as well as urban centers to mobilize the internet to improve education, connect children around the world, and inspire today’s youth with opportunities through education.
“We put a special emphasis on girls’ secondary education, knowing that when girls are empowered to stay in school and gain 21st century skills, they not only improve their own life prospects but those of their families, communities, and national economies. I am deeply gratified that Ericsson, Airtel, and other leaders in mobile telephony and wireless broadband are taking leadership in educating today’s young people for the future, and in connecting today’s youth around the world via the internet and new information and communications technologies,” concluded Sachs.
Connect to Learn is a public-private partnership that promotes universal access to a quality 21st century education, providing scholarships, especially for girls, and implementing information and communications technology (ICT) solutions in schools.
Ericsson is a founding member of Connect to Learn, providing expertise and innovative mobile broadband solutions in the partnership with Millennium Promise and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. One example is PC as a Service, which dramatically improves the way that education can be delivered, at a fraction of traditional computing costs, by using cloud computing.
Our multimedia content, including new video material from Chile, is available at the broadcast room: www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room
Photos:
Connect To Learn
Hans Vestberg, CEO and President of Ericsson
About Connect to Learn
Connect To Learn is a not for profit global educaton initiative designed by Ericsson, Millennium Promise and the Earth Institiute as Scientific Advisor, to ensure a 21st century secondary education for all – especially for girls – by providing scholarships for secondary education, and using ICT to connect classrooms and improve access to quality educational resources around the world. For more information, please visit www.connecttolearn.org
About Entel
Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones S.A. is the largest telecommunications Company in Chile with Ch$ 1,086,816 million in annual revenues reported in December 2010. The Company provides mobile and wireline services (including Data & IT, Internet, local telephony, call center, long distance and related services). Entel also has wireline and call center operations in Peru. Entel is listed on the Chilean Stock Exchange (Bolsa de Comercio de Santiago) under the ticker symbol ENTEL and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile.
About Lime
LIME is the Caribbean's largest telecommunications company with a proud history in the region, and which is always working to improve life in the Caribbean. LIME delivers the very best communication services to governments, businesses and families in 13 Caribbean countries with one unifying promise - building, connecting and serving communities. LIME is part of Cable & Wireless Communications PLC, one of the world's leading communications companies. Visit www.lime.com to learn more.
About Bharti
Airtel Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa. The company offers mobile voice & data services, fixed line, high speed broadband, IPTV, DTH, turnkey telecom solutions for enterprises and national & international long distance services to carriers. Bharti Airtel has been ranked among the six best performing technology companies in the world by BusinessWeek. Bharti Airtel had over 228 million customers across its operations at the end of June 2011. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com
Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.
Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the “prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 180 countries, more than 90,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 203.3 billion (USD 28.2 billion) in 2010. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.
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