The Raanana Municipality recently presented 350 laptop computers to elementary and middle school teachers, for the use during the upcoming school year.

The distribution of the computers is part of the “Computer for Every Teacher” project, designed to empower Israeli teachers, and conceived by the Etna Foundation, run by Uri Ben Ari, the Teachers’ Union, Ministry of Education and Bank Massad.  As part of the project, computers are distributed to teachers across the country, who also attend 120 hours of training courses, including knowledge of how to operate a computer and digital skills, using the computer as a classroom teaching tool, use of accessible internet information etc.

Raanana is the first municipality in the Sharon region to join the program, as part of its investment in cultivating and developing its teaching faculty at all of the city’s educational institutions and as part of its philosophy of promoting the status of the teacher and creating an optimal educational environment for both students and the school’s faculty.

The computers were presented at an official event, attended by Mayor Nahum Hofree,  Teachers’ Union Director Yossi Wasserman; founder and president of the Etna Foundation Uri Ben Ari; Inspector and director of the Education Ministry’s Central Region Sarah Stark; Education Ministry Applications Division Director, Ronnie Dayan; Bank Massad CEO, Kobi Malchin and the chairman of the Sharon Region’s Teachers’ Union Ofra Donaski.

During the event, school principals will sign a treaty to promote computerization and online teaching at school.

Mayor Nahum Hofree:  “The municipal education system has set as its goal to promote and lead the younger generation toward excellence and to cultivate its human capital of teachers who are at the forefront of the city’s educational activity.  The hundreds of teachers joining this program is another step in our activities and programs to upgrade the status of the teacher and to create an optimal quality teaching environment for the entire school community.”

Founder and President of the Etna Foundation, Uri Ben Ari:  “To date, over 5,000 teachers are taking advantage of the laptops and professional courses.  We congratulate Mayor Nahum Hofree’s decision to join 160 localities that already have benefited from the “Computer for Every Teacher” Program and the strengthening of the status of the teachers.”

In the photo:  School principals displaying the treaty they signed to promote computerization in their schools, alongside Mayor Hofree and Etna Foundation Founder and President, Uri Ben Ari.  Photographer:  Motti Ben Aroya.