Lenovo, Microsoft roll out ‘EdVision’ to help schools

Michael Ngan, Lenovo Philippines president and general manager

With the education sector turned on its head because of necessary restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, a global tech company is standing by its “duty” to help the academe cope with this crisis through a program that will not only give them discounts on necessary tech tools, but also provide them with the free training on how to teach—and learn—effectively in a virtual classroom.

The program, headed by Lenovo Philippines and Microsoft, is “EdVision,” which is designed to prepare schools in the Philippines for online education through accelerated digital transformation. According to Michael Ngan, Lenovo Philippines president and general manager, EdVision is the expanded and improved version of the company’s “Think University” initiative, which basically gave schools special discounted rates on their products.

“[Our company] had a discussion and we thought, why not take [Think University] to another level? We wanted to support the academe during this crisis, especially in the Philippines because we are one of the hardest hit by the pandemic in the Asean,” Ngan says.

Thus the evolution of Think University to EdVision. Under the program, pioneer partner schools will be provided with free access to online resources that will help them through their education transformation journey, as well as complimentary or subsidized access to the latest solutions in education tech. The schools will join Lenovo and Microsoft to promote and drive the widespread adoption of technology in the education space. Selected partner schools will also be invited to join the EdVision Summit, as well as receive a “classroom makeover” and subsidy for smart classroom deployment and support in faculty education.

Citing a 2018 report by the World Economic Forum on the future of jobs, which states that more than half (54 percent) of all employees globally will require significant reskilling and upskilling over the next three years, Ngan says that “technology education is vital to securing the future careers of today’s students”—as well as the economic future of the country itself.

As for Microsoft, it said it was “deeply committed to the cause of education, especially during this challenging time.”

“We’ve worked closely with academic institutions across the globe to quickly enable remote learning and now we’re focused on enabling innovation and transformation to prepare them for what comes next,” says Microsoft Philippines country general manager Andres Ortola. “This partnership with Lenovo will power personalized learning that will empower the future members of the workforce with the skills and tools they will need to achieve more and succeed. We are investing in education now and for the future.” —ANNELLE TAYAO-JUEGO INQ