Microsoft ties up with local firm to train 50,000 students

Microsoft has partnered with a leading youth network of the country for providing basic computer training to around 50,000 students in different educational institutions across the country.

Young Bangla, the youth network, has involved 2100 educational institutions and started picking up 25 students from each of the institutions for this training titled ‘Microsoft Digital Literacy’ programme.

“We already trained nearly 21,000 students from 840 educational institutions in March and June”, said Tonmoy Ahmed, assistant coordinator of the Centre for Research and Information, that works as secretariat of Young Bangla.

He said the rest of the students from different schools and colleges would be given the similar training by next year.

Trainers who are volunteering for YB have been assigned at the selected schools and colleges across the country to conduct the training with assistance from Microsoft.

The training scheme seeks to introduce students with basic computer training skills, a brief view on troubleshooting of operating system and hardware.

“Given that ICT is the future in creating self-employment opportunities, we look forward to taking the light of ICT among grassroots students,” said Sonia Bashir Kabir, Managing Director of Microsoft Bangladesh.

She said Microsoft would also like to contribute to make Bangladesh a technologically advanced country.

The students have welcomed this move and showed their keen interest in this scheme, saying that it helped them greatly in getting basic knowledge in computer operation.

“Until I attended the training programme, operating a computer was a challenge to me. This training, however, made me confident of operating a computer like any other tools,” said Samiul Islam, a jubilant eight grader of Polashbari SM Pilot Model High School.

Teachers of the different schools and colleges stressed the need for continuing similar training for more students and teachers as well, given that the number of qualified IT teachers is still not enough in remote areas of the country.

“Assessment of training module and the quality of the trainers indicate such a scheme would really take the students forward in imparting knowledge on IT based learning” said Md. Edris Ali, principal of Asaduzzaman Girls High School in Gaibandha.

The training programme would be followed by another initiative of creating 20,000 skilled freelancers from the students by 2018 so they could be self-employed.

Source: BSS