Intel® Teach Program Transforms Hundreds of Classrooms in Sri Lanka

++ Intel® completed a successful Intel® Master Teacher Felicitation Programme

++ 277 Master Teachers from Jaffna and the regions were trained together with EKSP in the past year

++ Intel® Teach was launched across the island in 2009

SRI LANKA, Colombo, February 26th 2014: In its pledge to effectively integrate technology into the country’s education system, Intel Corporation, together with EKSP of the Northern Province concluded another successful Intel® Master Teacher Felicitation programme late last year. During the past year, EKSP of Northern Province conducted eight training sessions for 277 Master Teachers in Jaffna and its islands, Kilinochchi, Madhu, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Thenamarachchi, Thunukkai, Vadamarachchi, Valikamam, Vavuniya North and Vavuniya South zones. The programmes commenced in 2010 and were conducted by the senior trainers through the Intel® Teach Program.

Speaking at the event, Chief Guest Hon. T. Kurugularajah, Minister of Education Northern Province, said, “It is important to inspire teachers as they are the ones who pass on this inspiration to their students. In today’s fast paced world, it is imperative to be prepared for critical thinking and problem solving and therefore programmes like Intel Teach will only add to a brighter and better next generation.”

Intel started this programme in a bid to improve teacher training in developing countries so that education is centered on student learning through project-based experiences rather than lecture and memorization. Since 2009, the Intel® Teach Program conducted in the Northern Province has completed training for 277 Master Teachers, 2,608 Participant Teachers, 212 Principals, 39 Directors and 458 Forum participants. The event today was attended by a cross-section of Sri Lanka’s education community.

Indika De Zoysa, Country Business Manager, Intel EM Ltd, said,  “We have completed another successful year of working together with government and policy makers towards improving education and opportunity across Sri Lanka. We are happy to recognize the efforts of multiple stakeholders and are pleased by the support that is in evidence today.”

Intel Teach relies on a combination of online and face-to-face instruction to build more flexible course offerings and train teachers around the world, and one element of Intel’s commitment to education. Independent evaluation of the Intel Teach program revealed participating teachers reported their students were “motivated and involved in the lesson” and that “student projects showed more in-depth understanding” than other comparable work.

About Intel: Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com

Photo caption: (Top) Chief Guest Hon. T. Kurugularajah, Minister of Education Northern Province speaking at the event and (Bottom) participants with their plaques and certificates with the Chief Guest