Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning (Thursday, 6 June 2013), in Jerusalem, opened the public council of the Computer for Every Child project, along with council chairman Deputy Minister Ofir Akunis and project chairman Prof. Aryeh Scope.
Those attending the meeting were briefed on plans to upgrade the project and adapt it to the changing computer world, inter alia, by distributing tablets instead of regular computers. It was also decided to launch the Smart Micro PC pilot project that uses cloud networks in order to improve joint working capabilities and lower hardware costs. Meeting participants were also shown a special kit being distributed to special needs children, which includes, in addition to a laptop, a special camera that allows vision-impaired children to present pages from textbooks and notebooks on the computer screen in a larger, easier-to-read format.
It was also reported that since the project began, over 55,000 computers have been distributed in approximately 200 localities, and that the project includes all sectors in Israeli society: Ultra-orthodox, Arab, Bedouin, Druze, new immigrants, special needs children, etc.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "The Computer for Every Child project, now it is a tablet for every child, is designed to close the digital gap and allow Israeli boys and girls from families with reduced means to receive the latest technology, whether it is a PC or a tablet or something else. We want to give every boy and girl an equal opportunity. I see that there are talented children here who are jumping into the future and changing their lives and the lives of their families. This is wonderful and we will see to it that it continues."
Deputy Minister Akunis said, "This is not only a digital project; it is, first and foremost, a social project. In order to reduce the social gaps, we cannot give children the same computer kits that they received in the 1990's. The entire field is changing rapidly; therefore, we want to start adapting it to the changing world. We will do this by starting the transition to tablet computers so that the project will now be a tablet for every child."
