The Moscow Centre for Informational Technologies and Analytics (MCITA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cisco to increase the number of Cisco (News - Alert) Networking Academy sites in the country.

The collaboration, which is aimed at improving the quality of Russia's secondary and college education systems, will take the form of a two-year program that will train and provide professional development for teachers in secondary schools and colleges, and provide easy access to modern information and communications technology (ICT) for pupils and teachers.

A release from Cisco said that the number of networking academy sites in Russia will increase from 125 to as many as 400.

"Education has never been more important than in the current global environment to ensure the leaders of tomorrow are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to take on a new breed of challenges,” said Bob Agee, vice president Russia, at Cisco, in the release.

Agee said that as Russia moves even further toward its goal of digitization and becoming a knowledge-based economy, the company is pleased to work together with leading institutions like MCITA to develop and promote excellence in education throughout Russia by providing students and teachers with the latest curricula and means of access.

"An analysis of accomplishments by world-class companies like Cisco shows that their expertise, scientific and practical experience in the sphere of informatization of education secures a modern quality of education in the metropolitan area," said Vladimir Yablonsky, director, at MCITA.

The Centre for Informational Technologies and Analytics was set up in 1993 to provide analytical and technological support to the education system in Moscow. Its main areas of activities are development and execution of city-wide target programs, i.e. Moscow education, e-Moscow, and labor skills, as well as implementation of the top priority "Education" national project.