Production£º

Intel Corp. Chair Craig Barrett was in India this week to introduce the World Ahead Alliance and to announce that Intel Indiahas partnered with the New Delhi affiliate of UNESCOto advance the chip giant's educationinitiatives in the country.

The World Ahead Alliance was formed by 16 Indian organizations to expand Intel's efforts to provide people in developing countries access to technology. These organizations include non-profit companies, educational establishments, hospitals and service and technology providers.

"This alliance is a perfect example of the industry partnerships emerging in India today," said Barrett, who also chairs the United Nations Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID). "We hope to initiate other efforts like these that can scale to produce positive outcomes and benefit citizens around the world."

Classmate PC
World Ahead efforts in India include working with state governments to equip approximately 100 schools with desktop PCs and the Classmate PC, an affordable, full-featured student laptop designed at Intel's development center in Bangalore.

The agreement between Intel and UNESCO calls for both parties to work jointly in areas that include teacher professional development, developing policies for the innovative use of technology in curriculum, and promoting scientific research in higher education.

"UNESCO recognizes that the effective integration of ICTand other technology components in the education system requires sustained public-private partnerships between multilateral organizations, government education bodies, academia and leading private technology players like Intel," said Minja Yang, director and representative, UNESCO. "This agreement confirms our desire to collaborate with Intel in India and together determine the best use of ICT in education to accelerate social and economic development."

Reaching Bangladesh
Before coming to India, Barrett was in Bangladesh also to introduce the World Ahead program. Intel will be working with Grameen Solutions there to promote digital inclusion projects across the country and to improve education connectivity and access to technology and localized Internet content and software applications.

After India, the Intel executive will also visit China, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America to explore how digital inclusion programs are taking root and creating opportunities for people in these regions.