The Ministry of Education this week signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Huawei Technologies Company of Shenzhen, Peoples Republic of China on the development of distance learning technologies in Fiji.
Minister for Education, Mr Filipe Bole said this development will greatly assist schools in the rural and remote islands.
This development will entail two different phases which includes the upgrade of central teaching and broadcast studio in Suva at Selbourne Street and the setting up of an equipped receiving station in a rural/remote school.
The other is the commercial phase where tenders will be called in accordance with Fiji laws governing the procurement of goods, services or work over and above a certain value.
Minister Bole said Huawei Technologies is the first company to enter into this sort of engagement in Fiji.
“By 2014, it is hoped that 20 secondary schools and 14 more primary schools will be connected on this mode of learning which is satellite-broadcasting mode”, Mr Bole said.
Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd is a Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Huawei Technologies (Australia) managing director Mr Wang Cheng Dong highlighted the use of technology in all societies.
“One third of the global population is using Huawei. Through this initiative, we can upgrade people interaction and promote education for rural and remote areas,” Mr Dong said.
A total of 20 schools are now taking distance learning education when it was first piloted in 2009 with Telecom Fiji.
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