Computers for Schools: Partnership for the Next Generation

Remarks by Hon. David Kilgour, MP for Edmonton Southeast

Alberta Computers for Schools 10th Anniversary

Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts, Edmonton

16 April 2004

It's an honour to be here. Allow me to bring greetings on behalf of Industry Minister Lucienne Robillard. Today is a major day for everyone involved with ACFS.

Look at all you've achieved in ten years:

An average of 9,000 computers distributed annually throughout Alberta, including schools in underserved areas,
An Edmonton-based refurbishing centre which is one of the largest in Canada, and
The milestone of delivering your 50,000th computer here today.

Equipping Students for the 21st Century

I'm sure that the teachers here today can tell us better than anyone how vital having access to computers in schools is to both our children and to all of us in this province. Computer literacy is no longer a luxury-it is an essential skill. Can anyone disagree?

While Alberta has a highly skilled workforce, Statistics Canada says that only 43% of Albertans move on to post-secondary education--the lowest rate of any province. And while high school dropout rates have been declining, they sadly remain above the national average. The computers provided by Alberta Computers for Schools help students reverse these numbers by preparing them for success in Alberta's knowledge-based employment market.

Forward-looking partnerships

Computers for Schools was started when Telephone Pioneers, a group of active and retired employees from the communications sector, joined forces with Industry Canada to place refurbished computers free of charge in schools and libraries. Today, the Alberta program partnership is due in no small part to strong support from, among others:

Alberta Learning, which has played a major role by providing the ACFS Board Chair, guidance, space, and personnel and financial support,
The Alberta Learning Resources Centre, which provides space for what is probably Canada's largest provincial refurbishing centre, and
The Alberta Corporate Services Centre which channels hundreds of surplus provincial government computers to the program.

Business partners, particularly TELUS, Microsoft Canada, and ATCO have also played major roles in supporting the initiative. Innovative partnerships like this one represent the strength of what Canadians can accomplish together.

To the hundreds of volunteers, donors and partners across the province, many, many thanks. Your dedication to, and passion for, helping others is making a real difference in the lives of children, which, in turn, benefits our communities and the province as a whole.

Thank you.

-30-