UNESCO and Microsoft Announce Higher Education ICT Task Force for Long-Term Skills...

UNESCO and Microsoft Announce Higher Education ICT Task Force for Long-Term
Skills and Sustainable Development
Collaboration to promote greater access and use of ICT for higher education
enhancements.

PARIS, July 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Microsoft Corp. today
announced a joint task force to help higher education institutions worldwide
meet the growing challenge of supporting economic stimulus efforts and
work-force development strategies. The UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher
Education and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will create a
strategic plan of action to identify how ICT can be used by governments as a
catalyst for change.

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The announcement was made at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education
(WCHE), which opened today and is being attended by close to 100 ministers of
education, senior education officials and policy advisors. The WCHE is also
focusing on critical issues around reduced funding for education globally as a
result of the economic crisis and the need for governments to find affordable
measures for short-term skills training and work force enhancement in support
of economic recovery and growth. Many delegations in attendance from
developing regions emphasized the longer-term challenges of sustainable higher
education reform and capacity-building.

The UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and ICT will analyze the
findings and recommendations of the WCHE, in addition to feedback from global
higher education experts and stakeholders, to identify key initiatives that
will promote more effective use of ICT in post-secondary teaching, learning
and research.

"Higher education is increasingly strategic for building up skilled work
forces in countries. Our focus has been on ensuring that tertiary institutions
address the key long-term requirements of our increasingly knowledge-based
societies and that students today are best equipped to drive and support
economic growth and to address major development challenges from education to
health to the environment," said Nicholas Burnett, UNESCO assistant
director-general for education. "Through the creation of the UNESCO-Microsoft
Task Force on Higher Education and ICT we will help mobilize critical
strategic resources to better assist ministries of education worldwide."

Initial ICT Resource Mobilization
The current economic downturn combined with rising demand for higher education
places governments under enormous pressure to fund enhancements in higher
education and support programs needed to train the next generation of work
forces with the new skills necessary for economic recovery. Under the umbrella
of the UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher Education and ICT and through the
Microsoft Education Alliance , Microsoft will provide a tailored package of
resources for short-term higher education enhancements, including curriculum,
training and affordable access to collaboration and development software.

"We believe that technology has a vital role to play in building up
21st-century skills, broadening access to education and personalizing the
learning experience to adapt teaching to the unique needs of each learner,"
said Michael Golden, corporate vice president, Education Products Group at
Microsoft. "This program makes technology resources more accessible than ever
before to governments and students across the world. We will continue to
support UNESCO and our newly formed UNESCO-Microsoft Task Force on Higher
Education and ICT in every way we can."

Additional information about the Microsoft resources available can be found at
http://www.microsoft.com/education/ELF09.aspx.

About UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
is the UN agency responsible for the promotion of international cooperation in
the fields of education, science, culture and communication. UNESCO functions
as a laboratory of ideas and standard setter to forge universal agreements on
emerging development and ethical issues. It also serves as a clearinghouse for
the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge, while helping
member states to build their human and institutional capacities.

About Unlimited Potential
Microsoft, through its Unlimited Potential vision, is committed to making
technology more affordable, relevant and accessible for the 5 billion people
around the world who do not yet enjoy its benefits. The company aims to do so
by helping to transform education and foster a culture of innovation, and
through these means enable better jobs and opportunities. By working with
governments, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations
and industry partners, Microsoft hopes to reach its first major milestone --
to reach the next 1 billion people who are not yet realizing the benefits of
technology -- by 2015.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software,
services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full
potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, +1-503-443-7070,
rrt@waggeneredstrom.com; Cynthia Guttman, Communications Officer, Education
Sector, UNESCO, c.guttman@unesco.org