In February 2009, following the Sri Lankan government’s recent announcement that 2009 will be the year of English and Information Technology (IT) adoption, the Hon. Susil Premajayantha - Minister of Education - presented 425 Intel-powered Classmate PCs (CMPCs) to 19 schools across the island of Isurupaya.

This was the second donation by Intel, with 70 Classmate PCs launched in the Western and Central provinces last year.

R. Sivakumar, Managing Director, Sales and Marketing, Intel South Asia said, “There is an urgent need for industry and government to educate people on the importance of ICT and following it as a career option. As a result of this collaboration, we have provided Sri Lanka children affordable means to develop basic computer literacy, critical thinking, communication, and the collaborative skills necessary to power Sri Lanka into the 21st century knowledge-based economy.”

Commending the efforts of the pubic-private sector partnership, the Hon. Susil Premajayanth said, “With the support of the Asian Development Bank and world technological leaders like Intel, the ministry has initiated several efforts that use technology to bridge the divide between urban and rural areas, while generating continued economic and social progress across the country.”