Access to education is universally considered a bedrock value. Microsoft’s belief in the promise of education runs especially deep in developing countries, where children as well as adults are in pressing need of better learning opportunities.

As a technology leader, Microsoft is part of a growing wave of companies and nonprofit organizations taking on the urgent challenge of bringing the benefits of technology and education to people and schools around the world. For example, Intel’s World Ahead program, AMD’s 50/15 campaign, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative and Microsoft’s own efforts -- such as Unlimited Potential, Imagine Cup and Partners in Learning -- all strive to address this problem from different angles. Microsoft recognizes that the success of technologically driven efforts in education depends not only on the availability of affordable desktop PC and laptop hardware, but also on strengthening teacher involvement, creating and sharing locally relevant curriculum, and establishing a pathway for education to lead to real-world employability and success.

To learn more about these industry activities and Microsoft’s stance on technology and education in developing countries, PressPass spoke with a panel of Microsoft executives with expertise in this arena: Orlando Ayala, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Emerging Segments Market Development Group; Will Poole, corporate vice president of the company’s Market Expansion Group; and Lindsay Sparks, corporate vice president of Microsoft Education Strategy, Products and Solutions.