Samsung Electronics Philippines Corporation (SEPCO) today announced that La Salle Green Hills will offer GALAXY Tab 8.9 mobile tablets to its students for advanced digital learning.

“Samsung is delighted to partner with La Salle Green Hills in this groundbreaking project in the Philippines," said KC Park SEPCO president and chief executive. "Our winning GALAXY Tab portfolio is an innovative option for schools looking for devices equipped with strong feature sets to enhance the learning process. It will enable students to learn in a fun and interactive manner.”.

La Salle Green Hills, a premier learning institution in the Philippines catering to 5,000 plus pupils, plans to deploy initial 500 of the new GALAXY Tab 8.9 devices to its honors class students. The pilot phase of the project will commence with the start of the second trimester of the 2011-12 school year in September this year. La Salle Green Hills expects to roll out the mobile tablet learning experience school wide in the new school year of 2012-13.

“A pioneer in innovative learning, La Salle Green Hills appreciates how technology can enhance learning," said Bro. Felipe Belleza FSC, president, La Salle Green Hills. "By introducing the eTextbook to students, we are not just relieving them of having to carry heavy school bags to school. We are also exposing them to digital technologies which prepare them for the real world where digital is the primary medium of communication outside the classroom. The school hopes this innovation will foster the creation of new learning systems and methods,”

In order to achieve strict compliance with the school’s policies and security procedures, Sybase, an SAP company specializing in software management, analysis and mobilization of information, was brought in to allow the school to manage and deploy applications over-the-air and secure curriculum materials on Galaxy Tab 8.9 devices for the students of La Salle Green Hills.

“Unlike the more widespread practice of loading third party applications into a mobile tablet and distributing it to students, we support  digitizing actual curriculum materials and securely loading and managing these in Galaxy Tab 8.9 devices," said Sivadas Ramadas, managing director, Southeast Asia region, Sybase. "We believe this is the first attempt of its kind in the world,”

The project is expected to cover five phases:-

* Introduction – Use of eTextbook to replace traditional textbooks.
* Adoption – Use of eTextbook to replace traditional assignment notebook and other school communication.
* Adaptation – Use of eTextbook in the classroom for presentations and other schoolwork.
* Appropriation – Use of eTextbook together with other technology and information in learning.
* Creation – Use of eTextbook to create new learning contents and strategies.

“Our engagement with La Salle Green Hills illustrates the growing interest and demand we are seeing from the education sector seeking to implement Samsung mobile technology and content solutions in the classroom," said Glenn Martin Glinoga, business unit director for SEPCO mobile phones. "We believe this partnership is the blueprint for how educators will approach education,”

At just 8.6mm thin and weighing only 465g, the GALAXY Tab 8.9 is the perfect device for today’s mobile citizen. Whether writing emails on a trip or reading an eBook on the couch, the GALAXY Tab 8.9 provides the ultimate tablet experience without compromising mobility. Powered by the Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) platform, the GALAXY Tab 8.9 offers faster and smoother transitions between different applications, more intuitive navigation to and from home screens and broader support of USB accessories, external keyboards, joysticks and gamepads.