Second part of Open World project to cost UAH 608 mln, says project manager
Kyiv, December 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The implementation of the second phase of the Open World National Project will require financing of UAH 608 million (not including the purchase of devices for students), Open World National Project Head Ruslan Svirsky said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on November 29.
He said that in the near term 2,000 Ukrainian schools would be selected for participation in the second phase. The main criteria for selecting schools are a connection to the Internet at schools (the requirements for data transfer speed in town and rural schools will be different) and the availability of specially trained teachers.
Svirsky also added soon the educational portal will be launched and tenders to buy equipment for the second phase of the project will be held.
Under the project, Microsoft Ukraine has announced the sales of its Surface RT tablet PCs at the special price of UAH 2,999 via the Web site of its partner – Engler. A representative of Engler Mykhailo Kalitkin said that the tablets would be sold using the principle of one tablet per student. Buyers are to fill in a form on the company's Web site, where the school number where the student goes, address and contact number are to be given. The organizers of the project believe that this will secure from fraud.
Kalitkin said that the device could be bought with credit issued by the project partner – Alfa-Bank. Microsoft Ukraine Director General Dmytro Shymkiv said that the company sells the tablet PCs lower than their production cost. The sales will start this week and it is planned to sell 10,000 devices.
Svirsky also said that a possibility of giving a interest-free credit for the period of up to three years to buy tablet PCs is being discussed, although there has been no firm decision on the issue.
As reported, the pilot phase of the Open World National Project covered 54 schools in all regions of Ukraine, at which over 3,000 seventh grade students are studying.