i missed this entirely and the date is probably the reason to close to Christmas. This to appears to have the ability to generate funds. I still am confused about Alberta as being the education facility.
CALGARY, Dec. 22 /CNW-PRN/ - Zi Corporation (TSE: ZIC - news; NASDAQ: ZICA - news) today announced its recently acquired subsidiary, Ozlearning, formerly known as Beijing Oz, is launching an education web site in China. Ozlearning has formally begun its education service provider (ESP) business by signing an agreement with the Continuing Education Institute of the China Central Radio and Television University (CRTVU), China's principle distance education institution. As a result of this agreement, CRTVU plans to offer many of its courses through the new web site and, over time, diminish the use of the television medium.
``We are currently webifying selected CRTVU courseware, localizing the courseware content acquired in November 1999, acquiring third-party courseware and completing a browser based software administrative system in order to be fully operational by the fall of 2000,' says Michael Lobsinger, chairman and chief executive officer. ``We have secured the right team - combining the best in management, technical, design and implementation expertise - and are working quickly to launch the new site.'
Ozlearning's agreement with CRTVU covers an eight-year term. CRTVU has named Ozlearning as the exclusive administrator of the CRTVU course web site as well as granted sole responsibility for converting selected courseware into a digital format with multimedia functionality. Banner advertising will be run on the CRTVUOz Internet site and, when appropriate, be embedded in specific continuing education courses.
In 1999 there were approximately 3.3 million students registered with the CRTVU and attending classes at one of its more than 2,000 regional campuses. Student registration at CRTVU is expected to rise in the coming years as a result of continued economic restructuring in China and an expanded series of approved courses made available under the CRTVU/Ozlearning agreement.
Initially, Ozlearning will develop courseware in the fields of management, information technology training and adult English-as-a-second language. A team of CRTVU educators and Ozlearning staff will develop the new courseware. Ozlearning intends to examine other course content and develop it for on-line access where suitable. Student demand for specific courseware will be a primary factor in assessing course suitability for on-line conversion.
CRTVU also has a mandate to provide teachers from kindergarten to grade 12 with their re-certification courses. There are approximately 11.5 million teachers in China that must take continuing education courses every two years to maintain their teaching certificates. Oz will make these re-certification courses available on the net. Teachers will be able to access these courses from one of the more than 2,000 CRTVU facilities, at home or anywhere they have Internet access.
CRTVU has been providing China with university diploma courses and continuing education courses in a variety of fields and disciplines for 20 years. Students successfully completing CRTVU courses are issued diplomas or certificates, which are widely recognized in the Chinese workplace. CRTVU closely guards the control of diplomas and certificates and employers will eventually be able to verify valid diplomas and certificates through an on-line registry.
Zi Corporation is a software and educational products company. The company's eZiTEXT(TM) input software is licensed in numerous languages for devices such as mobile phones, PDAs and TV set-top boxes. Zi's common shares trade on both the Toronto Stock Exchange (ZIC) and the NASDAQ stock market (ZICA). Zi markets its technology through strategic partnerships worldwide from offices in Calgary, Beijing, Hong Kong, Stockholm and San Francisco.
Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The information in this press release is based on Zi Corporation's current expectation and assumptions, and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such risks include, among others, general business and economic conditions and competitive actions as well as the risks and uncertainties referred to in Zi Corporation's 20-F for the most recent calendar year.
SOURCE: Zi Corporation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
