On September 2nd, a new service launched in Tõrva municipality in collaboration with SEB and GreenDice, which provides all 7th to 12th grade students with a personal computer for their studies. This is the first municipality in Estonia where such a comprehensive solution has been implemented.
The purpose of the service is to contribute to improving students' digital skills and development, creating equal and modern opportunities for them to learn. In total, necessary equipment for schoolwork will be provided to nearly 260 students from Tõrva Gymnasium and Riidaja School, who will have the opportunity to use personal and modern digital tools along with additional training and technical support. With this, Tõrva became the first municipality in Estonia where necessary equipment for learning has been provided to all students in the municipality from the 7th grade onwards.
The service offered by GreenDice is not limited to just providing equipment, but also includes updating the cloud server systems of educational institutions, creating secure user profiles for students, and keeping necessary policies up to date. During the service, 8 thematic months will be conducted with relevant webinars and learning materials, covering topics ranging from entrepreneurship to financial risks and digital security.
“The GreenDice model has been cost-effective for Tõrva municipality, as we were able to terminate several IT equipment rental agreements, develop the learning capacity of schools without increasing costs, and contribute to improving the digital skills of young people,” said Tõrva mayor Kalle Vister.
Additionally, GreenDice provides students with IT support services, which guarantee prompt assistance in case of technical problems. Students will receive a checklist with the most important information they need to know when using the computer upon receiving the device. In addition, students can also obtain a monitor, keyboard, or computer mouse from GreenDice to make learning and acquiring knowledge as comfortable and effective as possible.
“Our biggest expectation is that we can provide our students with modern digital tools along with a comprehensive solution, so that their learning experience is diverse and does not depend solely on the school's limited budget or the resources available at home. The service currently planned covers very well the gap that many families have - limited access to modern tools, which is why schoolwork is done at home on a smartphone or tablet (if they even have those),” said Maarja Kallis, principal of Tõrva Gymnasium and Riidaja School.
Argo Alaniit, CEO of GreenDice noted that at a time when social media and everything related to it reaches a young person's personal device with just a push of a button, the education system should also take a step forward from the computer lab. “By providing students with personal computers for participating in learning activities, there is an opportunity to direct educational content to an environment that they are used to using daily. It is important that the device and software are provided to students as a sustainable service, not as a one-time project. This could also contribute to the development of the national IT leap,” said Alaniit.
SEB has been contributing to the digital development of Tõrva municipality in cooperation with GreenDice for several years – teachers, municipal employees, young people participating in the digital ambassador program, and local residents use the bank's well-maintained devices. SEB joined the platform created by GreenDice in 2023 and has so far redirected 1700 different IT devices, including 320 desktop computers, 585 laptops, and 199 monitors.