China lost in translation in giant tender

Esra Kaya ANKARA / Hürriyet

China asks more time for translation, Fatih project is delayed to May 27. DHA photo

The tender for the purchase of at least 10.6 million tablet PCs as part of Turkey’s Fatih project was postponed to May 27, as the Chinese company needed extra time to translate its tender documents from Chinese to Turkish.

The tender has been rescheduled to May 27. Apple, GM, Samsung and two Turkish companies, Arçelik and Vestel, are reported to have applied to attend the tender up to now. Chinese company Shangai Fezxun’s offer is expected following the completion of the translation of the tender documents.

The Turkish government plans to replace traditional blackboards and textbooks in schools with electronic boards and tablet PCs as a part of the Fatih project, in an attempt to merge education with innovative information technologies and radically transform the perception of education. Within the project, the government will purchase more than 10 million tablets for students, administrative employees and teachers in the first stage.