Govt may ponder more free tablets

The plan to distribute computer tablets to young schoolchildren still faces uncertainties, and the Yingluck government will have to consider a costly extension of the programme for older students.

Critics, who include some senators, warned that the free-tablet policy, if mismanaged, could trigger a serious problem of “electronics junk” due to the large number of recipients involved. 

However, ICT Minister Anudith Nakornthap ruled out the possibility. “I haven’t heard of this. There is no assignment for me on tablet handout for Matthayom 1. No budget has been allocated so far. So, it is not likely, but in the future if the government seeks more budget, it could be.” 

He said the project could be an Education Ministry plan. 

Obec had planned to seek funds under the 2013 fiscal budget for the ministry to deliver tablets to all 761,179 Matthayom 1 students under its supervision, Obec’s secretary-general Chinnapat Bhumirat said after a meeting with Education Minister Suchart Tadathamrongvej and executives of main agencies recently to discuss budget plans for the next fiscal year.

Chinnapat expected the ministry would be able to hand out tablets to Matthayom 1 students in the second semester of 2012 academic year if they were able to allocate the budget for tablet distribution in October or November. 

He expected that each tablet for these children would cost about Bt8,000.

The 2013 fiscal year begins in October and the second semester of the 2012 academic year starts in November.

Premier Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday before boarding a plane to travel to the Cabinet meeting in Phuket and Phang-nga that details of the tablet distribution project for Prathom 1 (Grade 1) |students would be probably put |to Cabinet but she had not seen |any documents related to the project yet. She told reporters to check meeting details with the Cabinet secretariat. 

Reports said the Information and Communication Technology Ministry had already given details of the project to Cabinet. It was expected the project would be included as an unscheduled agenda at the meeting, which will be held today.

 

Late last month, ousted former PM Thaksin Shinawatra spoke via video link to red shirts who went to Khao Yai National Park that 800,000 more tablets would also be given to Matthayom 1 students.

The government plans to hand out 900,000 tablets to Prathom 1 students with a budget of Bt1.8 billion in the first semester of the next academic year. 

The first semester starts in |May and there are already questions whether the government can |meet the deadline, as the project involves mass production, foreign bidding that could easily create political problems, and installation of teaching apps, which could take time.