'Smart classrooms' not for all schools

THE NATIONAL Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has already decided not to install “smart classrooms” at all schools, citing the need to save costs and cater to the different context of each school.
The decision ends widespread speculation that “smart classrooms: would spring into operation as the main IT-project for education in place of the One Tablet Per Child scheme, which has been scrapped.
“Although we have not yet concluded how to improve educational quality through the use of IT, the NCPO has already made clear that it is not necessary for all schools to have a smart classroom,” Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) secretary-general Kamol Rodklai said yesterday.
The Pheu Thai government’s tablet scheme saw cheap computers handed out to a large number of Prathom 1 and Mathayom 1 students regardless of their school’s location and their family’s financial status.
After the NCPO came to power this year, it scrapped the One Tablet scheme and instructed the Education Ministry to come up with other IT-related projects for children’s education.

‘IT equipment based on needs’
According to the Obec, if the Bt6.97 billion budget that was earmarked for the tablet scheme this year and next was redirected to the ‘smart classrooms’, about 19,000 schools would get IT labs for their students.
“But the NCPO has already decided not to create ‘smart classrooms’ at all schools. The NCPO prefers to deliver additional IT equipment to each school based on its needs and context,” Kamol said.
He said the Obec has now conducted a survey among 38,000 schools to determine their IT needs.
“We should be able to conclude on the survey results within |two weeks,” he added.
Kamol expected academics to analyse the results and decide what additional equipment should be prepared for each school.
“There may be various different models. For example, 1,615 small schools will likely focus on satellite-based educational IT,” he said.
“And for the very small schools, we may simply prepare computers and projectors for teachers.”
Kamol said the new Cabinet would have the final say on how to improve educational quality through IT in the coming fiscal year.