Oracle Internet Academy, part of the company's global education programme, will be brought to 24 selected secondary schools in Hong Kong in the 2002 to 2003 school year which starts next month.
Oracle Hong Kong managing director Arics Poon said the initiative is a first for the company in Greater China after establishing similar academies in the United States, Europe and other parts of Asia.
"The Oracle Internet Academy is part of our company's long-term commitment to supporting the Hong Kong government's goals to promote IT education. As part of a global programme, local secondary schools will gain access to Oracle's latest technology, curriculum, and support," Poon said.
In Hong Kong, Oracle will invest US$3.5 million worth of software and course materials required to standardize the participating schools in their first year as part of the worldwide academy network.
Benefits for these schools include teacher professional development, curriculum materials, access to a hosted online learning and practice environment, teacher support and the opportunity for students and teachers to receive Oracle certification--a globally recognized IT education credential.
"We want to educate secondary students on the fundamentals of Internet and database technology and provide them with the necessary skills to pursue academic and professional opportunities," Poon said.
The programme comes two years after Oracle brought its Academic Initiative to local universities, providing students with IT tools and education.
The academy offerings include four terms of classes in database fundamentals, Structured Query Language and the procedural language extension for database programming called PL/SQL, Java technology and Web application development, and basic business skills such as project analysis and management.
The Hong Kong Association for Computer Education chairman Ng Hok-ling said: "We believe that strong IT skills are vital to Hong Kong's future. We welcome the Internet academy programme, with its focus on developing database and Java programming skills, as a major contribution to broaden and supplement the school curriculum."
The association provides consultation to Hong Kong education authorities and institutions on issues related to computer education and the upkeep of professional standards in this field.
Poon said Oracle intended to increase future investment in its initiative so that it could broaden the number of participating schools, teachers and students.
Some of the participating secondary schools include Cheung Chuk Shan College, Diocesan Boy's School, Hang Seng School of Commerce, Ho Lap College and New Methodist College.
"We expect an initial batch of 400 secondary school students, those from Form 4 and up, as part of the Internet academy when the new school year starts. We expect this initiative to be a success," Poon said.
Oracle, however, will start from a small base. In the last school year, the Education Department listed 496 secondary schools and 24,466 teachers.
Before its Hong Kong launch, the Oracle initiative was serving 6,000 students in 200 schools across the U.S., Europe and Asia.
Poon said Oracle planned to extend the local initiative to include summer internships for academy students with its partners and customers.
Copyright (c) 2002. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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