Bechtle equips schools in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with modern technology.

The Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry for Education, Science, Youth and Cultural Affairs presses ahead with the standardisation of media education / Bechtle is IT partner for the state programme 'Medienkompetenz macht Schule' (Media competence in schools).

The state of Rhineland-Palatinate commissioned Bechtle AG to equip schools in the federal state with standardised modern media equipment. Together with long-standing manufacturing partner Lenovo, Bechtle has installed around 5600 notebook systems, consisting of trolleys, projectors and printers, in the project schools of 2009 as part of the 'Medienkompetenz macht Schule' state programme. What particularly tipped the scales in favour of Bechtle were the company's many years of experience in the public sector, the references of similar educational projects and the centralised procurement made possible by an online shop set up specifically for schools.

Neckarsulm/Mannheim, Germany, 7 April 2010 — The aim of the unique 'Medienkompetenz macht Schule' state programme is to promote the media competence of all those involved in school education. In particular, this involves the integration of modern media equipment into everyday school life. The programme aims to ensure that pupils gain practical experience in the safe use of the latest information and communication technology as early as possible in their school lives. "We can only provide a comprehensive education that offers all pupils equal opportunities in the world of work and in everyday life if we integrate media into schools and lessons right from the outset," says Dr Stefan Weiler, Managing Director of the multimedia initiative of the State Government of Rhineland-Palatinate, rlp-inform. The ten-point programme also aims to foster a responsible and critical approach to media, highlight opportunities as well as make pupils aware of the risks associated with IT.

Standardisation pays off.

The innovative programme 'Medienkompetenz macht Schule', which aims, amongst other things, to provide all schools throughout the state with standardised IT equipment, was initiated as early as 2007 by the State Government of Rhineland-Palatinate. "This standardisation helps us to bundle procurement in a way that makes economic sense and also keep our necessary equipment service within a reasonable and calculable budget. Thanks to Bechtle, we now have an experienced and very reliable partner to help us implement our project," explains Dr Stefan Weiler. A further aspect worth mentioning is that the mobile workstations require no extra space. Instead, they allow equipment to be used both flexibly and directly in the classrooms of all secondary schools. According to Gabriele Lonz, Office Manager for the 'Medienkompetenz macht Schule' programme in the Rhineland-Palatinate State Media Centre, the project has got off to a successful start: "We're very pleased with how our scheme to provide pupils with innovative and future-proof technology has been implemented so far. We are definitely on the right track." By 2011, the State Government of Rhineland-Palatinate will have invested 10 million euros in the ten-point programme.

Bechtle Mannheim supplied the systems.

The Bechtle IT system house in Mannheim, Germany has been responsible for gradually supplying laptop trolleys to schools throughout the Rhineland-Palatinate area since the fourth quarter of 2009. "We are very pleased to have been selected by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. We see this as a mark of confidence in the performance of our system house. At the same time, the conclusion of a contract like this also confirms the first-rate expertise of our public sector specialists," says Dr Harald Sussek, Managing Director of the Bechtle IT system house in Mannheim. Throughout the implementation of the project, Bechtle has also been able to draw on the experience gained from supplying IT equipment to schools in Berlin, Germany and from acting as a service partner for the 'Lemmon — Lernen mit modernen Medien online' (Learning with modern media online) educational project initiated by the town of Würselen in Germany.