Nearly 50,000 Students in Glasgow, Scotland to Receive Free iPads to Assist With Education

Nearly 50,000 students in Glasgow, Scotland will receive free iPads to assist with their education, as part of a seven-year £300 million agreement between Glasgow City Council and Canadian IT firm CGI, according to the BBC.

As part of the deal, every student in academic year P6 to S6 will receive their own iPad to keep for school use, while younger students in academic years P1 through P5 will have shared access to an ‌iPad‌. A total of 47,000 iPads will be handed out to students by 2021, and 4,900 teachers will also receive one.

The initiative will also include the installation of Wi-Fi in every classroom and faster internet connections overall.

The report notes that all of the iPads will be tracked and managed by the Glasgow City Council, which can lock or erase the devices remotely, while social media platforms and inappropriate websites will be blocked. The initiative has already been tested at a number of schools across Glasgow.

"This is the biggest Apple education initiative in Europe and I'm delighted that Glasgow is once again leading the way in innovative practices," said Glasgow councillor Chris Cunningham, according to STV News.