Under the program, Microsoft would provide a personal computer (PC) containing several software programs for education, including the Microsoft Encarta, Microsoft Math and Baby Software which can be used as education tools in the family, Anoop Gupta, corporate vice president, Education Products Group, Microsoft Unlimited Potential, said here recently.
“The personal computer will provide children with knowledge about computers,” Gupta said when visiting Tarsisius I Elementary School in Jakarta.
Indonesia and Thailand were the first two countries elected by Microsoft where the program would be introduced, he added.
He said education was the most important requirment for a country`s progress and the quality of education was determined by technology, parents, teachers, curriculum sand programs.
Technology, he said, should be adjusted to the needs of education and affordable to people of all walks of life.
He said the content of the “Family Education PC” was still being evaluated with the involvement of some elementary schools in Jakarta and environs to know whether the content was suited for use in the education of children and to get inputs from the educational sector.
For the purposes, Microsoft had appointed five elementary schools to run the program in a bid to know its suitabilty and to get input from the schools.
The five schools are SD Tarsisius I Jakarta, SD Al-Amanah Sunter (North Jakarta), SD Al-Azhar Bekasi, SD Pemuda Bangsa Depok, and SD Strada Van Lith Jakarta.
Teachers at the elementary schools would get a chance to operate the PC in conveying study material to their students.
The SD Tarsisius I Jakarta was now using Microsoft Encarta for geography lessons and Microsoft Math for mathematical lessons.
Deputy principal of the school I Nyoman Tagore said Microsoft Math software can prevent students from feeling bored about mathematical lessons.
He added the software was complete enough to cover all the elementary school`s curriculums and to facilitate their conveyance to the children.
Bonnie Mamanua, Business Development Manager PT Microsoft Indonesia, meanwhile said the evalution of the program would last until June 30.
“But we will still accept inputs received after that date,” he said, adding that the PC would be marketed at a price of below Rp6 million per piece.
