AMMAN - Starting next week, public servants and members of security bodies can apply to purchase laptops at "competitive" prices at Civil Service Consumer Corporation (CSCC) branches across the Kingdom.
Laptops subsidised by the government will be sold at 15-20 per cent below market prices, Ministry of Information and Communications Technology Spokesperson Haitham Qaisi told The Jordan Times in an interview on Tuesday.
"The idea behind this initiative is to enable public servants and members of securities bodies, whose numbers range from 200,000 to 300,000, to obtain laptops to enhance their IT skills and thus the performance of the public sector," Qaisi added.
Under the initiative, eligible beneficiaries can apply to receive a subsidised laptop at any CSCC outlet or Jordan Post Company branch, according to Qaisi.
Public servants and members of the security forces can pay for the laptops either all at once or in monthly instalments, the ministry's spokesperson said, adding that the CSCC will offer two types of ACER brand laptops with different specifications.
The price for one laptop is JD320, JD332 if paid over one year in monthly instalments and JD349 in two years of instalments.
The other laptop type will be sold under the three payment options at JD475, JD495 and JD521 respectively.
"These laptops are very affordable and through instalments it is much easier to buy them," Qaisi added.
Nasser Hanandeh, acting director of the Vocational Training Department at the Ministry of Education, said the initiative will benefit a large number of citizens.
"It is a very good initiative if the specifications are good, especially since beneficiaries can pay in instalments, and the procedures are simple. I think it will be a very successful idea," Hanandeh told The Jordan Times over the phone yesterday.
"I think teachers will benefit a lot from this initiative as curricula are being computerised and teachers with better IT skills can be promoted much faster and receive higher salaries," he added.
However, Sharaf Abu Rumman, a member of a committee representing Amman teachers, said the initiative fails to address educators' more pressing concerns.
"The initiative is good, but I think priority should be given to enhancing the financial situation of teachers," he told The Jordan Times over the phone yesterday.
"Even if the monthly instalment is JD20 or less, it is a lot for teachers who prefer to spend that money to buy bread for their families."
© Jordan Times 2010
