Deal Signed to Install Computers in Schools

RIYADH, 23 September 2003 — The Ministry of Education yesterday signed a SR65.5 million contract with Hewlett Packard Middle East and Jeraisy Computer and Communication Services for the supply and installation of 17,000 PCs as well as printers and scanners to 845 Saudi schools throughout the Kingdom.

Salih Al-Uwaishiq, ICT supervisor at the Ministry of Education, told journalists the project was part of the government’s strategy to integrate IT into the educational system and integrate e-learning into the school curriculum.

Jeraisy will assemble the PCs at its factory in Riyadh as part of a program to facilitate technology transfer into the Kingdom.

Al-Uwaishiq said the program was being implemented in two phases. Under the first phase, 196 laboratories in secondary schools for boys have been equipped with 2,936 computers.

The ministry also installed 9,860 computers in 570 labs of primary and secondary schools and additional 2,500 computers in 500 other labs at the learning resource centers for boys.

During the new academic year HP will set up more than 17,000 PCs, printers and scanners.

Last year, HP equipped the learning resource centers in girls’ schools in different parts of the Kingdom.

An important feature of the contract is the training aspect. HP is to train the teachers to do trouble-shooting themselves in order to cut down maintenance cost.

JCCS general manager Harbi Yousef said the contract was awarded even though it was not the lowest bid, but the Education Ministry decided in the Jeraisy group’s favor in view of the group’s commitment to provide curriculum content online to schools throughout the Kingdom. “This factor, added to HP’s commitment to manufacture more than 17,000 desktops in the Kingdom, won us the deal,” Harbi said. Production is expected to begin in November this year.

Christoph Schell, HP general manager Middle East, said this was the second contract of its kind to be awarded to HP by the Education Ministry. Previously HP won a contract equipping computer labs at girls’ schools in the Kingdom.