Pakistan Government Declares Implementing IntraLearnAsia’s e-Learning Platform

Virtual University slated as first step in country-wide IT education program

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. (May1, 2002)—IntraLearnAsia, funded by The Boston Group (www.thebostongroup.com), today announced that the Government of Pakistan has declared the Virtual University (VU), an e-Learning based Information Technology educational program, as one of its highest priority projects in the country’s “IT Action Plan.”

Aimed at meeting the critical need for IT education in Pakistan, the VU is looked upon by the government as the first step for a smart, learning nation approach to socio-economic development in the country.

“Since there was an adequate infrastructure available in the country, the setting up of a Virtual University would go a long way in producing quality students,” said President General Pervez Musharraf. “I hope that the Virtual University will provide quality education as part of the distance learning through television and the Internet.”

The Internet facility, and the public and private learning centers that are being established throughout the country, he pointed out, had been extended from 25 cities to 500 cities and towns in the country.

“The key to a smart, learning nation development strategy is to organize institutions and the population at large to take advantage of the technology now available to unleash and nurture the talent in the full population, not just a mostly-urban elite,” said Dr. Naveed A. Malik, the project director of the VU. “The idea behind the Virtual University is to bring together a critical mass of quality faculty to provide world-class education in the IT sector to a large student body. The VU will utilize the services of quality individuals wherever they may be without relocating them.”

The distance learning through television and the Internet is a unique approach adopted by the creators of the VU. The approach combines the power of two popular media, television and the Internet, for the delivery of higher education. A virtual, interactive classroom environment is provided over the Internet, and at the same time, lectures are delivered over a national TV channel.

About The Boston Group

The Boston Group (TBG) is a global provider of software development and technical consulting to a broad range of Fortune 1000 companies. TBG has successfully developed highly technical solutions that solve a range of problems from development of back-end business critical systems to applying the Internet to non-Internet businesses.

About IntraLearnAsia

IntraLearnAsia, a joint-venture between Intralearn Software Corporation & The Boston Group based in Singapore, manages the sales, implementation, customization/localization, and support of the IntraLearn e-Learning software platform for the Asian region. The Singapore office of IntraLearnAsia manages IntraLearn's activities in Singapore as well as in other Asian countries through its own expanding presence in the region and through its business partners.