Toshiba joins effort to boost computer literacy

SAN PEDRO, Laguna, Philippines – Toshiba Corp. has donated 140 new notebook PCs to 14 public high schools in Laguna as part of its continuing support for the “Gearing up Internet Literacy and Access for Students” (GILAS) project.

Promoted by the Ayala Foundation, GILAS is an ambitious nationwide program that seeks to improve computer literacy among students in public high schools. Toshiba has supported the program for the last three years with annual donations of 100 notebook PCs, 10 to each of 10 selected high schools. Toshiba today increased that with this year’s donation and handed over 140 new notebook PCs for 14 schools Today, Toshiba made its donation to GILAS for the 4th year running at a turn-over ceremony held in San Pedro Relocation Center National High School.

GILAS, a multi-sector consortium, aims to provide Internet access to all public secondary school students countrywide. The goal of the campaign is to enhance information literacy by bringing all public high schools in the Philippines on-line. So far, the program has brought Internet access to a total of 3,040 schools.

Toshiba’s donations have made an important contribution to GILAS in Laguna – home to Toshiba Information Equipment (Philippines), Inc. and Toshiba Storage Device (Philippines), Inc., Toshiba’s main facilities for hard disk drive production – where 35 percent of public high schools have benefited from Toshiba’s support.

With Toshiba’s latest donation, 94 percent of public high schools in Laguna will now have access to computers and to the Internet, an 11 percent rise from the previous 83 percent.

Toshiba is guided by a corporate philosophy rooted in the concept of “Committed to People, Committed to the Future.” In practical terms, that means that Toshiba seeks to contribute to society and to the communities in which it operates by supporting programs that promote social welfare, community development and science and technology education for young people.