Obec considers cash-coupon plan for tablets
The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) is considering the idea of handing out Bt3,000 cash coupons to parents so they can purchase tablet PCs for their children in the upcoming academic year, Anek Ratpiyapaporn, director of Obec's Technology for
The idea – under which parents can buy their child a China-made tablet or a better brand if they cover the difference – was raised at a seminar on September 22 and is not yet finalised, he said. The seminar was held to discuss the policy of distributing tablet computers to Prathom 1 and Mathayom 1 students.
Aim to ‘help the government’
Anek went on to say that the cash-coupon plan was seen as a way of helping with the state agency’s procurement problems as some people thought the |procurement of tablets for |this academic year was rather slow.
An informed source reported that the government signed a contract with two bid-winning companies last week and the first batch of tablet computers should be delivered to Prathom 1 students in the Central, South, North and Northeast regions in 35 days after the signing of the deal. Tablet computers should also be delivered to Mathayom 1 pupils in the North and Northeast during the same period.
Bids for delivering tablet computers in the Central and South were previously cancelled and the company involved has now filed an appeal with the Comptroller-General’s Department.
