The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili together with the Minister of Education Dimitri Shashkin, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Vera Kobalia and foreign guests opened an international factory constructed by the joint partnership of company "Algorithm" and INTEL. During one year the company will produce about 60 thousand net books that will be distributed among the children of first grade within the initiative of the President of Georgia. The computers are being assembled and new programs installed at this stage. As Mikheil Saakashvili noted it is an important step forward for Georgia to open this type of factory in regards of the development of high technologies.
"We are attending a historic process indeed, because it is a high-technology and modern production in Georgia. We had certain enlightening in regards of high technologies even before mainly in aviation factory, but as a symbol of 21 century this factory represents the first swallow. All children will get net books starting from a new educational year. Children now enter school at their 5 or 6. My son is 5 years old as well. Besides this during couple of upcoming years I think all children and teachers will have notebooks. We will as well have interactive boards. So to say, what we say in TV commercials of 21-22 century everything will be in Georgia. The final results we will see in 10-15 years. We will have the first results pretty soon. A generation will be raised in Georgia that will think in absolutely different way and will invent absolutely different product. At this moment we are occupied with simple operations. In several years we will reach such a level when Georgians will invent such products by their own sources and will even export them abroad. This is the first stage. At the second stage our children will go to the schools in foreign countries in order to obtain international level skills. Later Batumi Technology University will open - this is new Technology University in Georgia that will start operating in several years in Batumi. The best students coming from this University will study and develop 21-century elite of technologists and engineers and they will become the indivisible part of world elite. This is a grand ambitious project and we are first who started moving in this direction among those countries that surround us", Mikheil Saakashvili stated.
Mikheil Saakashvili got interested with the working conditions of factory personnel. As Dimitri Shashkin explained about 100 persons are employed at the factory, among them the graduates of IT vocational college. The average salary of them is 700 GEL. Mikheil Saakashvili personally spoke with them and noted that it is possible to receive pretty big experience by working in factory.
"Not everyone continues their studies after the college. IT programmers can start working right away, because this profession became such a qualified field", the President noted.
Educational programs in Georgian and foreign languages, math and logic, as well school and ordinary manuals will be installed in the net books. Children will have a chance to install some of the games and programs by their own will. Net books allow children to use wireless Internet at schools for free.
In 2010-2011 the state will present 60 000 first graders with the net books assembled in this factory. Net books were invented specially for Georgian children on the bases of the recommendations of international experts. The founders of factory are planning to produce all type of computer techniques. This will generate more jobs and will increase competiveness on market.