Govt To Install 250,000 Computers At Schools

[george]

Government plans to install 250,000 computers at schools nationwide

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Saturday that his government had planned to install 250,000 computers at schools throughout the country in late 2006.

In his weekly radio address, Mr. Thaksin said that installation of computers at schools would help facilitate teaching, and that he actually wanted to see the installation of computers to be finished by

May next year in time when schools start the new academic year.

Under his scheme, computer parts will be purchased by the government and assembled by school students, under the supervision of teachers and students of vocational institutes who need computers.

Mr. Thaksin said by requiring students and teachers to assemble computers, the government would spend not more than Bt 2.5 billion (US$ 62.5 million) for the entire program and the budget had been kept aside.

--TNA 2005-10-01

[Maejo Man]

A crackdown on internet cafes on one hand and then installing 250,000 computers in schools on the other. At least this way their use will be controlled by teachers, maybe there's hope yet for the trusty leader

I just wonder who will be awarded the supply contract for all these computers? Shinnywater computers Inc?

[simon43]

Another completely stupid idea!! Computers in schools are next to useless if the teaching staff are not trained how to 'teach' with them.

Years ago I was in charge of the UK NGfL (National Grid for Learning) which wanted to put computers into all UK schools and connect them to the internet. The project was a farce because there was no funding to train the teachers how to use the computers.....

Simon

[mumbojumbo]

If all the computs are hooked up to TV, maybe the kids could learn something

[PeaceBlondie]

propaganda alert: This is a government announcement. There is less than a 5% chance that this will happen.

That is all. Now you may return to what passes for reality out on the soi.

[ovenman]

propaganda alert: This is a government announcement.  There is less than a 5% chance that this will happen.

You are catching on...

[thohts]

Let's see.... 4 billion baht or so for computers.

Money that would be better of being spent on actual BOOKS in the schools. Perhaps even a good library and selection of books at each.

Technology can never solve the ills of the mind.

[mouse]

As you can surely remember a while back I solicited many of the forum for funds to get computers for my village school and I am happy to report that we now have a total of 16 computers installed in the school and they will soon be connected to Broadband. To those that helped back then THANK YOU VER MUCH!! Especially to ThaiVisa that provided much support.

We all helped a little and then I showed the school how to help themselves and it worked out well.

We are now working on a project to collect enough to build a new toilet facility, and provide tables and chairs in the Cafeteria area. Feel free to visit the site and take a look! HERE!

[Stube]

his government had planned to install 250,000 computers at schools throughout the country in late 2006.

what about these schools without electrisity?

[mouse]

his government had planned to install 250,000 computers at schools throughout the country in late 2006.

what about these schools without electrisity?

There is a new type of laptop being built and distributed by the UN through a Mr. Negroponte (though a private foundation of his), for $100 a piece. Includes WiFi, RAM type hard disk and a windup crank option for those locations that have no power. I suspect that is what they may be building or buying.

[mouse]

Here is the link for the LAPTOPS at $100 each

[ovenman]

I suspect that is what they may be building or buying.

I suspect that they won't be building or buying anything, but I suppose time will tell...

[galt67]

While I applaud the computers being brought into the schools, their is a MUCH MORE fundamental problem to be solved--

TEACHING ENGLISH!

Unless the Thai educational establishment GREATLY improves English instruction, any economic gains with computers will be minimal.

[sriracha john]

UPDATE... the Thaksin lunacy has the brakes put on it:

Education Ministry axes 3 schemes

Ex-government's pet projects left out of budget plan

The Education Ministry has axed the ousted Thaksin Shinawatra administration's three pet projects, with a combined value of more than 10 billion baht, claiming that they were intended to win political support. Education Minister Wijit Srisa-arn said yesterday that the three schemes have been left out of the 2007 fiscal budget plan as they have little to do with improving the quality of education.

The three schemes are the one-notebook-per-child programme aimed at providing a cheap notebook computer for all primary school children, the distribution of 250,000 computer units and installation of a high-speed internet service at every primary and secondary school, and the essay competition scholarship funded by the two and three-digit lottery sale. The computer and Internet access scheme would have cost 8.6 billion baht while the cost of the three-year scholarship scheme, which ends this year, was estimated at two billion baht.

''These projects are not urgent and not in my education reform plan. One thing I want to realise in the one-year time-frame is improving education quality for teachers and students,'' Mr Wijit said.

Investments in technology hardware and infrastructure should proceed when basic education standards have been achieved and the state is financially ready, he said.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/28Nov2006_news04.php

[Old Man River]

Education Ministry axes 3 schemes

Investments in technology hardware and infrastructure should proceed when basic education standards have been achieved and the state is financially ready, he said.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/28Nov2006_news04.php

I am speechless.

[Ijustwannateach]

Has anyone got a link to that LAST thread when they were "finalising the committee to approve the plan to make the project" to install school computers countrywide?

[ColPyat]

Education Ministry axes 3 schemes

Investments in technology hardware and infrastructure should proceed when basic education standards have been achieved and the state is financially ready, he said.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/28Nov2006_news04.php

I am speechless.

Surayudh's education policy clearly spelled out: "Virtue before Knowledge".

No surprise there in axing these schemes.

[sriracha john]

Education Ministry axes 3 schemes

Investments in technology hardware and infrastructure should proceed when basic education standards have been achieved and the state is financially ready, he said.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/28Nov2006_news04.php

I am speechless.

I think it IS important that students have shoes to wear to school, books to read, and pencils to write with BEFORE the high-speed internet on a laptop is paid up.

It's like a breath of fresh air to see priorities set forth in such a non-psychotic manner.

[Old Man River]

Education Ministry axes 3 schemes

Investments in technology hardware and infrastructure should proceed when basic education standards have been achieved and the state is financially ready, he said.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/28Nov2006_news04.php

I am speechless.

I think it IS important that students have shoes to wear to school, books to read, and pencils to write with BEFORE the high-speed internet on a laptop is paid up.

It's like a breath of fresh air to see priorities set forth in such a non-psychotic manner.

Are you sure that is what they mean or is this your opinion on what they mean? There are some who would instead argue that they don't want children upcountry access to the outside world. This is an argument I won't make, but I have heard.

[1900]

don't want children upcountry access to the outside world.

Just what do you think Thai kids do on the Internet, look for science projects and language learning bits? I'm glad it failed.

[ColPyat]

don't want children upcountry access to the outside world.

Just what do you think Thai kids do on the Internet, look for science projects and language learning bits? I'm glad it failed.

Maybe if schools in structurally poor provinces would give kids the possibility to familiarize themselves with options such as science projects and language learning through internet, than maybe these kids would see that there is something else the world has to offer other than just being a dirt poor farmer or a wage slave in a factory.

Maybe if schools would offer these possibilities it could then balance out the almost exclusive use of the internet for gaming and finding clients for aspiring prostitutes in chat rooms via the mushrooming and ever present private internet cafes.

But no, keeping these kids ignorant makes it so much easier to have a in political, social and environmental issues docile future generation.

Rich kids of course can go to schools that have all these options and more.

[chownah]

Surayudh's education policy clearly spelled out: "Virtue before Knowledge".

Yes, teach them what you want them to think Virtue is before you educate them otherwise you might not be able to convince them that.......you get the idea.

Chownah

[hammered]

A cohesive education policy for the whole nation is probably needed before any discussion of whether or not 250,000 computers are needed. A start may be to decide on what years compulsory education will entail. It may also be useful to decide if education will be centralized or not. It may also help to assess how student centered learning is coming along as well as support and training needed by teachers nationwide. There are far more important issues to discuss than the issue of these computers and it would make a good thread fro anyone truly interested in future education in Thailand. Still I wouldnt want to interfere with anyones enjoyment as yet again we are back to pre-coup discussions of whether Mr. Thaksin was good or bad, which are now utterly irrelevent, and are just taking us further from meaningful debate on here.

All imho.

Peace.

[sriracha john]

Education Ministry axes 3 schemes

Investments in technology hardware and infrastructure should proceed when basic education standards have been achieved and the state is financially ready, he said.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/28Nov2006_news04.php

I am speechless.

I think it IS important that students have shoes to wear to school, books to read, and pencils to write with BEFORE the high-speed internet on a laptop is paid up.

It's like a breath of fresh air to see priorities set forth in such a non-psychotic manner.

Are you sure that is what they mean or is this your opinion on what they mean? There are some who would instead argue that they don't want children upcountry access to the outside world. This is an argument I won't make, but I have heard.

I believe that is what they mean. In the context of the rest of the article, they wish to focus on such things as teacher education among other concerns.

The Thaksin scam... errr... scheme was nothing but showboating some misguided belief that somehow other more crucial and basic aspects of education could be ignored by having shiny new laptops with high speed internet access.

An example of this ignorant planning on Thaksin's part from the article:

''Moreover, we know that most of the education personnel are not ready to manage or use technology,'' he said. According to Mr Khammool, several computer units at Nong Khai schools have been left untouched. During the five years when Mr Thaksin was in power, his government was criticized for allegedly using those educational projects to win support for his Thai Rak Thai party.

Kids can't learn if the teacher doesn't know what they're teaching, nor can they use these shiny, new computers if the poor school district can't afford the monthly power bills to run them (also mentioned in the article).

As anyone who is familiar with government schools here can attest to, there are far more fundamental things to do with the billions that would have been thrown out the window with these projects... things such as what I have mentioned above. By attempting to leapfrog forward without paying attention to these basics, that perpetuates the poor from being properly educated.

It is precisely the chaos that had been the Education Ministry over the past 5-plus years that accounts for that perpetuation and lack of sound educational reform.

Edited November 28, 2006 by sriracha john

[mouse]

The kids in my village in Kamphaeng Phet province already enjoy broadband access through ipStar and have a decent network of almost 20 machines. I am carefully asking how this is being funded and how they will continue to fund it in light of this new direction. If I see they cannot handle it, then I will find a way to make it happen. For there is nothing worse than getting a chance and then have it taken away. The two Computer Science Teachers do know what they are doing and the students are gaining knowledge rather than just playing on the net. Great strides have been made at our village school and even the most difficult part of funding various program has been overcome. In some cases the teachers even donate monies out of their pockets to make things happen. In my humble opinion we should find a way for stars to shine.

[PeaceBlondie]

Buying a zillion gadgets like laptops or PowerPoint projectors, before the teachers know an effective teaching method, is just throwing money away. I once had a great class of M4 English students, special program, and we reserved the computer room. They got up there and didn't know how to Goggle for anything. The star student who wanted to become a physician-surgeon just Googled for "doctor" and got a million hits, then didn't know what to do next. And with everybody searching at the same time, the connections were incredibly slow, and timed-out.

It is the exception, rather than the rule, where you find a school, adequate modern facilities, properly trained and motivated teachers with the right methodology, and motivated students who are ready to tackle high tech.

Didn't the MOE spend the first five years of education reform just changing titles within the central agency, and not reforming the schools or teachers themselves? Aren't the teaching methods still based upon 23rd century tradition?

[Old Man River]

Buying a zillion gadgets like laptops or PowerPoint projectors, before the teachers know an effective teaching method, is just throwing money away.

Yes, of course, that is how not to do it. Does that mean the whole program should be scrapped?