IBM has given away 26 Young Explorer computers to four non-profit organizations including Development in Literacy (DIL), Mountain and Glacier Protection Organization (MGPO), Kaghan Memorial Trust (KMT), and PAF’s Special School of Education.
This donation was carried out under IBM’s ‘KidSmart Early Learning Program’ which is the company’s initiative to make Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) widely accessible to Pakistani children.
“IBM’s Young Explorer computers are perfect for introducing computing tools to the young children ages 3 to 5 at our Kaghan Memorial School” said, Khurram Khan, Managing Trustee at The Kaghan Memorial Trust. “The KidSmart software provides fun interactive programs that help children to get acquainted with computers while supporting their curricular learning. The icing on the cake is the colorful and child-friendly design of the workstations; their sturdy fabrication protects the systems from damage no matter how young and uninitiated the user may be. KidSmart truly lives up to its name and we feel privileged to have been chosen by IBM to receive these excellent systems for our school.”
The KidSmart program integrates new interactive teaching and learning activities using the latest technology into the pre-kindergarten curricula. IBM’s KidSmart program includes the Young Explorer™, a computer housed in brightly colored, child-friendly Little Tikes™ furniture and equipped with award-winning educational software to help children learn and explore concepts in math, science and language.
The Young Explorer units are specially designed for children ages three to five years with a focus on creating a positive impact on preschool learning and teacher training in line with government education agendas. The program is now widely acknowledged as a catalyst for curriculum development and learning innovation in Middle East and Africa.
IBM Pakistan launched the KidSmart program in 2006 and has donated more than 80 Young Explorer units to NGOs across Pakistan,partnering with Education Ministries (of Nankana Sahib, Punjab and Sindh) and renowned NGO’s including The Citizen’s Foundation, Care Foundation, Behbud Association, Edhi Foundation and Zindagi Trust.
