EVERY pupil from P6 up across north-west Glasgow will get a free tablet device under a new controversial IT contract.

Glasgow City Council is pushing ahead with a £400 million contract for seven years with Canadian firm CGI, if voted through by councillors.

CGI runs IT services for Edinburgh and Borders councils and other local authorities could follow suit.

Council chief executive Annemarie O’Donnell said the deal would bring a number of benefits with the plan promising devices to all older pupils and world-class facilities. There would also be training for 700 Glaswegians through software development courses for 100 long-term unemployed people every year.

As well as the tablet for thousands of pupils, there will be wi-fi in every classroom with all pupils able to use their own devices.

Council leader Frank McAveety said: “Glasgow Labour is determined that no child in Glasgow will be left behind in the classroom because of their circumstances at home. This is tackling inequality in action. While others like to use warm words when it comes to tackling inequality, Glasgow Labour gets on with the day job of delivering.”

He said it was a “ground-breaking deal” which would benefit pupils, businesses and people across Glasgow.

Health services are expected to benefit from increased capacity for data analysis to improve early interventions allow new methods of delivering care, especially for people at home.

Theplan to outsource was agreed by the council agreed the plan to outsource late last year and the business case for the deal with CGI is expected to be approved by the council’s executive committee next week. Annmarie O’Donnell, Glasgow City Council Chief Executive, said it would break the digital divide in the city.She said: “We believe we can transform digital services across Glasgow.“Redesigning our IT provision presents the opportunity to put the service at the heart of securing world-class digital learning in our schools - and at the forefront of breaking down the city’s digital divide.”

The plans to outsource to CGI have has been controversial with SNP and Green councillors opposed and unions have threatened strike action.