inaugurated and turned over the pilot telecenter project in Tonoas to the Chuuk Department of Education.
The project is situated at Sino-Memorial Elementary School in Tonoas, Chuuk and was jointly implemented by the Department of Transportation, Communication and Infrastructure and the Japanese government.
The other two telecenter projects are in Walung, Kosrae and Madolenhimw, Pohnpei.
Mori said these projects aim to connect the schools and communities from rural locations to the modern world.
He thanked the funding agencies for the project, namely the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity, of which FSM is a full member, and the government of Japan, through its Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
He said these projects will serve as models for other rural schools and communities throughout Micronesia and for the entire Pacific.
There is no better reward than to see the appreciative faces of the school children as they embrace this new technology, he added.
Following the remarks of public officials and dignitaries, a public demonstration of the center’s system was conducted at the school site.
This included a video teleconference by Mori and other officials with students at Waseda University; Sino students with Waseda students; Sino Elementary School children with their counterparts in Kosrae, Pohnpei and the Waseda University in Japan, as well as with deputy chief of mission James Naich at the FSM Embassy in Washington, D.C.
The school children were allowed to video and audio conference with each other.
Mori, after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, opened the school computer laboratory and had the opportunity to access his e-mail via the school network system.
