Microsoft supports SL’s ‘Nenasala’ IT education
View(s):César Cernuda, President of Microsoft Asia Pacific, who was on a 2-day official visit to Colombo, met with a number of Government officials and
![Microsoft](http://www.sundaytimes.lk/141214/uploads/Microsoft-300x163.jpg)
From left: Poojitha Rajapakse - Public Sector Lead Microsoft, Jayantha Fernando - Director ICTA, .Reshan Devapura -CEO ICTA ( Information Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka), Cesar Cernuda-Microsoft Area VP APAC, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya - Minister for Telecommunication & IT, Gotabaya Jayaratne - Secretary to the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology, Michelle Simmons - Microsoft Country GM SEA, Imran Vilcassim - Microsoft Country Manager Sri Lanka and Janakie Karunaratne -Microsoft Citizenship Manager.
the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) to discuss how the software company can further align with the Sri Lanka Government’s plan to make the country the IT hub in the region.
The head of Microsoft Asia Pacific also met with President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees where he gifted ‘up to the minute’ Microsoft software to the value of US$ 2.1million to be used in the Government’s Nenasala (Wisdom Outlet) programme headed by ICTA.
In a media statement issued by Microsoft, President Rajapaksa was quoted as saying that he greatly appreciated the gesture by Microsoft. “Microsoft Sri Lanka has done a great deal of work with the Ministry of Education and ICTA to uplift ICT education and the support extended to our Nenasala programme is greatly appreciated. We are moving successfully forward with this programme and with the way things are progressing, and the support we have received combined with the hard work put in by the ICTA, I have no doubt we will achieve the 75 per cent target in our ICT literary rate by 2016,” the Presidenti said.
Mr. Cernuda said he was impressed with the work already done through the Nenasala programme. He noted that “ICT is a vital part of a country’s economic growth and the Sri Lanka government has the right vision in placing it as a key priority in the country’s nation building exercise”.
The Nenasala Programme also won the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s 2014 Access to Learning Award earlier this year, receiving a cash grant of $1 million to the e-Library Nenasala Program (eLNP), in recognition of its work. The President of Microsoft Asia Pacific said that Microsoft as a partner of the foundation made the software donation to eLNP, as a part of the company’s commitment to bring the benefits of relevant and accessible technology to local communities around the world.