Microsoft renews school deal
Microsoft South Africa has announced plans to donate software to more than 26 000 government schools throughout South Africa. The three-year deal follows the 2002 donation signed with the South African education department.
If taken up in full the donation could be worth an estimated R750 million.
Each of the schools that participates in the programme will receive free licences for a range of software, including Microsoft Office 2007, Vista Business, Visual Studio Pro, Visio Pro, Exchange Server, SQL Server and Microsoft Encarta multimedia encyclopedia.
Microsoft SA’s acting managing director, Fernando de Sousa, said the donation was part of the company’s "renewed commitment to digital inclusion, skills development and a competitive local South African economy."
"I have seen how the magic of software can help people be more productive and creative. I believe that software can also play a critical role in helping societies address their most difficult challenges," said De Sousa. "Software and technology innovation can help strengthen healthcare, protect the environment, improve education, and extend social and economic opportunities."
Accepting the donation , department of education director-general, Duncan Hindle, said he was "very pleased" to see how the IT industry was collaborating with the education community to help the country’s teachers and learners use technology to achieve their full potential.
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