The new laptops will be given to students who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford them, and will play a major role in allowing distance learning for students still unable to attend school due to the pandemic. A press release issued by the Safed municipality mentioned that most of the laptops were sent to religious and ultra-Orthodox schools, where higher numbers of students are assumed to come from households without computers.
The laptops were provided thanks to the combined efforts of the Safed municipality, the Education Ministry, the "Computer for Every Child" initiative, the Ahinoam Foundation and several other small organizations.
Safed Mayor Shuki Ohana thanked Gallant for the collaborative effort in assisting his city and launching the project from the "capital of the Galilee," noting that the city has provided more than 2,000 new laptops to local schools and institutions since the coronavirus pandemic broke out.
"This is a real day of celebration for the children of Safed," Ohana said. "Many students across the country don't have computers at home and I'm grateful for the intensive work that we've accomplished in our efforts of recruiting a big amount of computers - over 2,000 in the past couple of months – that will provide solutions for Safed children during these times of distance learning."
Upon assuming his position as education minister, Gallant defined the technological gap among Israel's students as one of the biggest challenges he intends to tackle as part of his effort to transform the education system by making it more innovative and digital. For that purpose, Gallant recruited an unprecedented budget of NIS 1.2 billion.
Gallant addressed the return to schools on Sunday according to an outline decided upon by the coronavirus cabinet that will combine in-class studies with distance learning. He said that "the Education Ministry will allow administrative flexibility for school principals and heads of local authorities," adding that "in the upcoming months, we will continue to distribute 150 thousand laptops for Israel's children across thousands of schools all over the country – and in doing so, promote the ministry's digital revolution."
During Gallants visit, he discussed with Ohana the city's handling of the pandemic. "Safed is a strong local authority that has proven its ability to manage the pandemic," Ohana said. "Let mayors make the decisions and manage the crisis - that's the only way of lowering the morbidity rates and returning the system to normal in a responsible and careful manner."