CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 18, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SMART Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:SMT) (TSX:SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces that it has been named a preferred supplier for a large-scale adoption of classroom ICT (information and communications technology) products in Quebec. The government of Quebec has announced a planned investment of CDN$160 million over the next five years to equip every kindergarten through twelfth-grade classroom – 43,000 in total – with interactive whiteboards and other technology products. School districts will acquire these products through two separate organizations – the Centre Collégial des Services Regroupés (CCSR) and the Centre de Services Partagés du Québec (CSPQ). SMART is the sole supplier of interactive whiteboards to CCSR, and nearly all of Quebec's 72 school districts are members of that organization. CSPQ has published a catalog for school districts outlining which companies' products meet the organization's standards for the purchase of classroom technology solutions. Of the five categories listed, SMART education solutions qualified in four – more than any other interactive whiteboard company.
In February 2011, the government of Quebec announced its plan to equip its K–12 classrooms with interactive whiteboards and provide a laptop computer to each teacher. This plan was subsequently expanded to include other technology products, including interactive response systems and document cameras. It also calls for extensive teacher training to ensure the products are effectively implemented in the long term. According to Futuresource Consulting, a leading global research company that has tracked interactive whiteboard shipments since 2000, SMART's Canadian market share in interactive whiteboards in 2010 was more than 83 percent. SMART estimates that SMART Board® interactive whiteboards make up roughly the same percentage of the 5,000 interactive whiteboards currently installed in Quebec.
"The government of Quebec clearly recognizes the immense value of using interactive whiteboards and other technology products in classrooms to improve learning outcomes," said Patric Nagel, Vice President, Americas, SMART Technologies. "SMART is pleased to be named a preferred supplier and looks forward to playing a significant role in one of the largest implementations of classroom technology products in North America to date."
About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of collaboration solutions that transform the way the world works and learns. We believe that collaboration and interaction should be easy. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, we bring more than two decades of collaboration research and development to a broad range of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, so collaborating and learning with digital resources are more natural.
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