Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey visited San Francisco on Saturday to visit Microsoft, Apple and Google in Silicon Valley ahead of a possible acquisition of 10.6 million tablets for the Fatih project that will boost the quality of education in his country.
The Education Ministry of Turkey plans to purchase 10.6 million tablets that will be distributed to the country's students. It plans to replace textbooks and blackboards in schools with tablet computers and electronic boards to merge the system of education with innovative technologies. The Fatih project also aims to transform the perception about education using the project.
Erdoğan first went to Microsoft where Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of the technology firm, welcomed him. Ballmer is among the frontrunners for the Fatih project of the Ministry of Education of Turkey. The Fatih project is a pilot program that aims to integrate the latest computing technology into the public education system of Turkey.
"We wanted to see the latest developments in the information technology sector before we launched the Fatih bid by visiting the Silicon Valley because we plan to realize a similar project in Istanbul. Our first aim is to produce 10,600,000 tablets as part of the Fatih project, which will be followed by the production of 2 million to 2.5 million tablets." Erdoğan explained during an interview.
According to Erdoğan, bidding in connection with the project will be conducted on May 27. So far, Apple, Samsung, Google and two companies from Turkey, Vestel and Arçelik are set to participate. Another company from China, Shangai Fezxun is expected to join the bidding upon completion of the translation of all necessary documents.
The successful companies will be required to put up service stations in Turkey.
After his visit at Microsoft's headquarters, the Turkish prime minister went to Apple and then Google. At the Google's office, Erdoğan tested the self-driving vehicle being developed by the search engine company. The foreign leader also tried on the Google Glass. He was accompanied by Ayşenur Bahçekapılı, deputy parliamentary group chair of his party, and Sümeyye Erdoğan, his daughter.
