MEXICO CITY -- U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige last night joined Mexican Secretary of Education Reyes Tamez, Director General of International Relations Daniel Gonzalez Spencer, Mexico City Undersecretary for Educational Services Sylvia Ortega and representatives from Hewlett-Packard Company, Dell Mexico and Toshiba to announce that these companies are donating computers to Mexico City's public school system.

The announcement came at the conclusion of Secretary Paige's trip to Mexico City, where he attended the third meeting of the Inter-American Education Ministerial. The ministerial meetings brought together the western hemisphere's 34 education ministers to focus attention on strategies to improve education in the region.

Secretary Paige noted that his first overseas trip as education secretary was to Mexico City, and that he returned able to fulfill his promise to a little girl.

"On my last trip, I had the pleasure of visiting the Benito Juarez School here in Mexico City. There was such an energy there, with teachers, students and staff all working so hard, that I wanted to do something to support their excellent work.

"I am therefore especially pleased that Maria Violeta Hernandez Martinez, who so nicely asked me for computers to help her and her classmates, is here today with two other students and representatives of the Secretariat de Educacion Publica. I wanted to tell them personally that thanks to the generosity of Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba, they can expect 17 computers, five digital cameras and five digital projectors in the near future."

Secretary Paige noted that these three companies exemplify the keen awareness many global business leaders have of the critical role education plays in the future success of nations around the globe. He thanked them for their commitment to the world's children.

While in Mexico, Secretary Paige also kicked off the U.S. Embassy-sponsored book donation program between the United States and Mexico. During the ministerial meeting's opening ceremony at the National Museum of Anthropology and History, Secretary Paige presented Mexico's secretary of education with a sample collection of children's Spanish-language books about the United States. Secretary Paige emphasized the commitment that both Mexico and the United States have to education in general and reading in particular, and the importance of good libraries for all schools and the public at large.

"President Bush and President Fox share the conviction that every child deserves a good education, because education is the key to an individual's as well as a nation's progress and development," Paige said. "More than that, we all believe in the importance of reading and early education. That's why President Bush created the No Child Left Behind initiative. And it's why President Fox is promoting the National Reading Program."

The U.S. Embassy has arranged for a long-term program that will donate thousands of U.S. books in Spanish for primary and secondary schools, and public libraries throughout Mexico. Topics include American literature, history, biography, social studies, the arts and reference.

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