900,000 Tablet PCs To Be Handed Out Now: Thai Education Minister Suchart

[Balls]

Admittedly, I’m an ‘old schooled’ fellow.

My first college classes taught “Basic Language 1” and “Digital Logic”.

However, my carrier required other courses. At that time I was a “wanna-be” electrical engineer. I attended my first seminar on AUTOCAD, Version 1.0!

Yet, I retired with a degree in “Engineer of Industrial Technology”.

My point is that you start off with the basics and NEVER, EVER stop taking courses relevant to your interests and (especially your) career.

Be that as it may, “pads” are not computers, desktops or notebooks and do not lean to teaching any sort of ‘logic’ or formatting, and certainly not (without a traditional keyboard) the English language.

OK – learn to type in Thai, Mandarin, French or Swahili but if you search for anything on the internet, the bulk of the information will be in English. I can’t apologize for it – it’s just a fact.

Because of the limitations of “pads”, they do not include software programs necessary to “make it” in the current business world. Things will change but start with the basics and KEEP LEARNING! I never stopped – technology improves and you must keep up with it!

(IMO) The typical Thai teachers themselves haven’t a clue as to even the basic understandings of digital logic which has developed most of the business related software currently in use.

In conclusion, let’s give the Thai government a chance at their attempts. Let us all hope that they have health insurance enough to cover the cost of shooting themselves in the foot, which is of course to say, if they can do this with their other foot in their mouth.

[kawaiimomo]

This whole tablet issue is very sad and painful to watch.

If anyone has seen an iphone copy from China, they kind of look the part, but they don't really work. They are slow, poor battery life, clunky, not well translated from Chinese and really not worth having. They are also poorly built and good luck if something goes wrong. They may have lots of books on them, but that's like getting socks for Christmas.

It feels like no one has really thought this through and just rushing to tick the election pledge box.

It has been well documented how they could be better using the money on education, which makes watching this train wreck even more painful. It will be one of the biggest wastes of money ever.

If they had been serious, really understood the problems, created a roll out strategy, training, content, wifi and support, I think everyone would be touting this as a great initiative and leading the world.

But alas, it's a bunch of buffoons creating the illusion of doing something meaningful for education, when we all know the only topic of discussion with the Chinese manufacturer is what bank account and how many percent.

I actually had one of those tablets on my hands and I must say that they work pretty well. It is running Android OS with the standard features like wifi, multitouch, etc Not sure about the processor specs but it was running fast just like any new Android phone/tablet.

BTW, probably you have a smartphone like android or iphone/ipad. 90% of them are made in China with Chinese components, does that make them less good? I don't think so

Edited January 26, 2012 by kawaiimomo

[kawaiimomo]

Why tablets - because they are trendy? Notebooks give a lot more bang for the buck

Laptops will be obsolete in a few years.

ridiculous statement

Not really - iPads are now outselling HP computers.

When Windows 8 is fully "out there" expect a lot more devices to be simple touch screen tablets.

When Android supports printing and documents are held in corporate iclouds then expect a lot more.

At the moment the only thing holding MS together is the PC/Server combination

Android is already supporting printing and you can use google docs to hold docs in the cloud.

IMO the worst thing about tablets is the lack of physical keyboard but this is probably because I learn to type in a physical one and maybe the new generations will feel comfortable with virtual keyboards

[RogueLeader]

This whole tablet issue is very sad and painful to watch.

If anyone has seen an iphone copy from China, they kind of look the part, but they don't really work. They are slow, poor battery life, clunky, not well translated from Chinese and really not worth having. They are also poorly built and good luck if something goes wrong. They may have lots of books on them, but that's like getting socks for Christmas.

It feels like no one has really thought this through and just rushing to tick the election pledge box.

It has been well documented how they could be better using the money on education, which makes watching this train wreck even more painful. It will be one of the biggest wastes of money ever.

If they had been serious, really understood the problems, created a roll out strategy, training, content, wifi and support, I think everyone would be touting this as a great initiative and leading the world.

But alas, it's a bunch of buffoons creating the illusion of doing something meaningful for education, when we all know the only topic of discussion with the Chinese manufacturer is what bank account and how many percent.

I actually had one of those tablets on my hands and I must say that they work pretty well. It is running Android OS with the standard features like wifi, multitouch, etc Not sure about the processor specs but it was running fast just like any new Android phone/tablet.

Yes, they run very well. I've used them for testing and they're smooth and responsive and a joy to use; the iPad and the Android and Open Source alternatives. I held the iPad in my hand, admired its beauty and form but then i realised tht I had no possible use for one: that no-one could possibly need one. Or, to put it another way, if you need a tablet, a laptop would be much more useful.

Tablets are good for games, video and face-chat. Coincidentally, these are things that schoolkids are most likely to use them for.

Give them a laptop each if you want them to learn.

[Skywalker69]

The newly declared number of tablets is an increase from the previously agreed 700,000

What was previously agreed was 11,000,000 tablet computers for all primary, secondary, and vocational students...

Thailand would buy all the tablets from China under a government-to-government contract, he added.

900,000 computers.... from China... in five months...

What could possibly go wrong?

.

According to Murphys Law, everyting can and will go wrong.

[Skywalker69]

The newly declared number of tablets is an increase from the previously agreed 700,000

What was previously agreed was 11,000,000 tablet computers for all primary, secondary, and vocational students...

Thailand would buy all the tablets from China under a government-to-government contract, he added.

900,000 computers.... from China... in five months...

What could possibly go wrong?

.

Good point. Did Thaksins water pumps arrive, yet?

i was thinking about the water pumps the other day, bet he coulden´t get them cheep enough.

[Skywalker69]

maximum three month and 50% will be broken ... mark the date ...

I am sure your right, you get what you pay for.

[Skywalker69]

Good idea, lots of fore thought ,well planned , nice execution in risk assessment. Who pays for the network provider???

it will all be free...

Thailand wires up with free Wi-Fi

The Thai government announced it will be offering free public Wi-Fi in the Greater Bangkok area starting on Wednesday, and the roll out is part of its 30 billion baht (US$957 million) ICT master plan called Smart Thailand.

Thailand's Ministry of Information and Communication Technology Minister pointed out that the Wi-Fi coverage has been planned for city halls in 77 provinces, 878 district offices, 2,010 municipalities, 7,355 tambons (sub-districts), 5,765 tambon administration organizations, 12,355 schools, 1,278 hospitals and 8,269 police stations.

ZDNet Asia - December 27, 2011

http://www.zdnetasia...fi-62303326.htm

You mean another hub?

[Skywalker69]

700,000 for 1.7 billion ($90 apiece) is a MUCH better price than 200,000 for the extra ($166 apiece) 1 billion. So, why so much more for the 200,000 ?

Tea money?

[Buchholz]

Thailand would buy all the tablets from China under a government-to-government contract, he added.

900,000 computers.... from China... in five months...

What could possibly go wrong?

.

Good point. Did Thaksins water pumps arrive, yet?

i was thinking about the water pumps the other day, bet he couldn´t get them cheep enough.

They arrived, but they proved not to be very efficient for removing massive flooding at the industrial parks nor the meter-high flooded neighborhood streets

[squirrelboy]

Thailand's concept of teaching will be always be 'teacher' centred due to cultural choices by the powers that be. The authority figure giving the knowledge to not dissimilar students is the way it is and the way it's been for a long time. Suggesting a 'student' centred approach would mean individual assessment of students and a resulting plan tailored to the needs of each individual. In Thailand, the nail that stands out gets hammered down and individuals are thrust back into the melee of the classroom with little consideration for their unique abilities, needs and desires. Could you imagine a teacher having a detailed breakdown of all objectives that each student must meet before the end of the year, ha! Thailand even has a no-fail policy, which is simply determined at the end of the year with the question: Did the student get lower the 50%? If they did they automatically pass, without any real corrective action. This culminates in a worthless education and extremely low results in the O-NET and A-NET exams.

e-learning...tablets...student centred learning...maybe the fundamentals should be addressed first, like teacher training, higher salary and a decent policy for non-achievers.

TIT.

[OzMick]

Isn't this supposed to be a bad time for buying computers because of the loss of hard drive production due to the "unforeseen" floods?

[talk2sam]

Wonderful. Now they can keep up-to-date with their Facebook friends during class. No more having to wait for class to be over. Well, at least they might stay awake during class now.

Spot on ...

[Buchholz]

Thai One Tablet Per Child budget doubled

The recent cabinet reshuffle in Thailand has breathed new life into the floundering One Tablet Per Child project, with the new Education Minister promising to distribute 900,000 tablets to all first grade students and some fourth grade students.

The original project had morphed from an election promise of one tablet per child to one tablet for first grade students, and later became smaller still, with the promise only for schools that were ready. Then there were reports that schools had asked to buy desktop PCs instead of tablets as they could be more efficiently shared, making the original election pledge a faint memory.

Newly appointed Education Minister Suchart Thadathamrongvej made the announcement on his first day in office, along with clarification that he would be almost doubling the budget from 1 billion baht to 1.9 billion baht . The additional 900 million would be taken from the mid-year contingency budget that does not need to be ratified by Parliament.

Continues:

http://www.telecomasia.net/content/thai-one-tablet-child-budget-doubled

telecomasia.net - Jan. 27, 2012

[whybother]

Isn't this supposed to be a bad time for buying computers because of the loss of hard drive production due to the "unforeseen" floods?

Tablets don't have hard drives.

[Buchholz]

Newly appointed Education Minister Suchart Thadathamrongvej made the announcement on his first day in office, along with clarification that he would be almost doubling the budget from 1 billion baht to 1.9 billion baht . The additional 900 million would be taken from the mid-year contingency budget that does not need to be ratified by Parliament.

telecomasia.net - Jan. 27, 2012

The original budget came out of the fund for free school uniforms and free school textbooks (both extremely worthwhile expenditures that will cease),

Now, another fund gets raped because it can be done so by Cabinet edict and doesn't require debate and ratification in Parliament.

.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Buchholz

[djlest]

As if mobile phones werent the worst thing we gave our kids and watched them become zombiefied and txt 2 the m8s

Now crappy chinese ripoff tablets are being sent up north to buy votes..

ofcourse i have a room full of Thais behind me praising that no other gov has ever done this!

And who cares if they dont really work, the status symbol of having a Tablet far out weighs the actual use of one...

yawn! 3rd world - always has been always will be - education wont defy thainess

[sparebox2]

Isn't this supposed to be a bad time for buying computers because of the loss of hard drive production due to the "unforeseen" floods?

Tablets don't have hard drives.

Well spotted.

[Buchholz]

The new minister said he would continue the English Speaking Year policy

Thai students decreed to speak English

Thailand's Education Ministry has decreed 2012 as English Speaking Year in all schools. The project requires students to speak the language at least one day a week, to prepare the kingdom for ASEAN integration in 2015. Thai students study English from their very first day of school.

But internationally, Thai students came 116th out of 163 countries on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test. Many enter the work force unable to communicate at even a basic level. In 2015, when the ASEAN Economic Community comes into effect, there are concerns jobs will quickly go to foreign nationals with superior English skills and not to Thais.

Although the Thai Education Ministry has declared 2012 an English-speaking year across all schools in the country, implementation of this project may be very difficult indeed.

Continues:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/1179411/1/.html

Channel News Asia - January 27, 2012

.

[sirchai]

"Suchart said all 860,000 Prathom 1 students under different ministries would be given the tablets, while the remaining tablets would be distributed to some Prathom 4 students.."

"We will try to seek more English native speakers for schools to encourage students to practise it.."

"To adhere to the concept, Suchart vowed there would be no corruption and no cheating among students and teachers."

"With a commitment to a student-centred approach, students will be allowed to think out of the box or think differently and voice their needs,"

What a bunch of nonsense! Is there anything made in China, except the Chinese wall that lasts long? Using technology in a classroom is a very good idea for all levels. But not tablet PC's for 1st graders.

A projector with a big screen and ONE PC would be more than enough to make teaching more efficient. But teachers would have to be able to create slide shows and more.

They'll spend so much money for some shitty Chinese crap, instead of facing the reality. Thailand as an ASEAN member state will have to find better ways to educate their kids. 2,000 schools still don't have electricity, so why can't they just do what's more important first?

The statement "we will try to find some more native English teachers" sounds strange. Don't they always try to do something instead of actually doing it?

No cheating and corruption at Thai schools? All kids are so used to cheat, that they don't even know that they're doing something wrong. Most directors of bigger schools are very corrupt.ManyThai teachers have to buy their position at a government school. So how can anybody make such a statement?

It will never happen that Thai students will be able to think out of the box, as most of their "educators" can't do so. It's time that they stop beating up primary students on daily basis. A good deal for China as usual when they buy their crappy stuff.

They should deliver the tablets with their high speed trains........

Edited January 27, 2012 by sirchai

[slapout]

Another decree from above. Instead of the Thai greeting upon arrival at school on Monday, 'good morning teacher, or good day mate' and the requirement for speaking English 1 day a week has been met. How long has this group been involved in education?

[Skywalker69]

Just a few days ago there were 470,000 pathom 1 students to get tablet PCs.

http://www.thaivisa....ssure-thailand/

Now there are 860,000???!!!

Where do they get these figures from? Can't they make up their mind. Don't they know how many students there are in each grade?

And who are the 40,000 pathom 4 students to get tablets? What's so special about them?

This tablet PC thing is a total farce ... it will never happen...

The only thing they know is how much money they have in their private bank accounts.

[ballpoint]

Dr Thaksin to the rescue:

"What, you have a terminal illness in your education system? Take 900,000 tablets and call me in the morning".

[janverbeem]

Just a few days ago there were 470,000 pathom 1 students to get tablet PCs.

http://www.thaivisa....ssure-thailand/

Now there are 860,000???!!!

Where do they get these figures from? Can't they make up their mind. Don't they know how many students there are in each grade?

And who are the 40,000 pathom 4 students to get tablets? What's so special about them?

This tablet PC thing is a total farce ... it will never happen...

The only thing they know is how much money they have in their private bank accounts.

You are totally wrong about that.

Most of them are so corrupt and siphon so much money from the government coffers to their own account that they have not the slightest idea anymore how much money they have in their accounts.

I recall that some years ago one of them even forgot that he had given a few hundred million to his gardener and it wasn't even a trilingual gardener.

[Skywalker69]

The new minister said he would continue the English Speaking Year policy

Thai students decreed to speak English

Thailand's Education Ministry has decreed 2012 as English Speaking Year in all schools. The project requires students to speak the language at least one day a week, to prepare the kingdom for ASEAN integration in 2015. Thai students study English from their very first day of school.

But internationally, Thai students came 116th out of 163 countries on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test. Many enter the work force unable to communicate at even a basic level. In 2015, when the ASEAN Economic Community comes into effect, there are concerns jobs will quickly go to foreign nationals with superior English skills and not to Thais.

Although the Thai Education Ministry has declared 2012 an English-speaking year across all schools in the country, implementation of this project may be very difficult indeed.

Continues:

http://www.channelne...1179411/1/.html

Channel News Asia - January 27, 2012

.

To little, to late.

[djlest]

Its an Absolute Joke

The Tablet Game is without a doubt one of Taksins money makers, He is praised in the North as the GUY that brought the first computers to Thailand - yes some even believe he invented them (i kid you not) they really are about as bright as a lump of coal. Hence easy votes!

The Dems did quite a lot to try to improve the education system, and it wasnt in the form of buying votes. Unfortunately Thais dont respond to Lump sums of money being invested into LONG TERM projects. They only focus on the NOW.

When they get TABLETS now! they will still have them when its time to vote, thats 900,000 votes, plus relatives - potentially a couple of million extra votes...

Plus the deal Taksin made with China -

Thailand send x ammount of money for 900,000 Tablets.

Taksin scrapes off 50% and the manufacturer sends them back to thailand.

everyones a winner - who cares about education anyway...

[djlest]

For those that say - Ipads will replace laptops

i urge you to go back to the days when they said, laptops will replace computer systems.

Each has its own strengths and qualities and uses. Sure sales may fluctuate and more ipads are sold than tower systems, but its only a fad while everyone gets a new toy.

Fact:

1.computer tower systems can be a lot more powerful and tweakable than any laptop,

2. There is no way in hell i would want to spend 12 hours of my day hitting an amoled screen while i do my daily work routine of type and design

3. Ipads and Iphones are fantastic for a few hours a day, a quick email, a new app, some surfing (but these are hardly real work)

4. The position of an ipad or tablet flat on the desk is not anything as good as a laptop or monitor, they slip and slide and are just toys

[Buchholz]

Its an Absolute Joke

The Tablet Game is without a doubt one of Taksins money makers, He is praised in the North as the GUY that brought the first computers to Thailand - yes some even believe he invented them (i kid you not) they really are about as bright as a lump of coal. Hence easy votes!

The Dems did quite a lot to try to improve the education system, and it wasnt in the form of buying votes. Unfortunately Thais dont respond to Lump sums of money being invested into LONG TERM projects. They only focus on the NOW.

When they get TABLETS now! they will still have them when its time to vote, thats 900,000 votes, plus relatives - potentially a couple of million extra votes...

Plus the deal Taksin made with China -

Thailand send x ammount of money for 900,000 Tablets.

Taksin scrapes off 50% and the manufacturer sends them back to thailand.

everyones a winner - who cares about education anyway...

Thaksin sure didn't care about education when he was Education Minister.

He felt it so trivial in importance that he took on the position as a spare-time job to go along with his full-time job of Prime Minister.

.

Edited January 29, 2012 by Buchholz

[ajarnmark]

Why tablets - because they are trendy? Notebooks give a lot more bang for the buck

No way... tablets r better and cheaper than notebooks... have u ever used one before? or u still live in the old PC time when computers run on DOS... (no offence intended to you or other old-school people who think old is gold)

[happysanook]

Why tablets - because they are trendy? Notebooks give a lot more bang for the buck

No way... tablets r better and cheaper than notebooks... have u ever used one before? or u still live in the old PC time when computers run on DOS... (no offence intended to you or other old-school people who think old is gold)

depends which tablet and notebook you're comparing. if you can't plug a usb keyboard into.it, it'll be virtually useless towards doing any sort of real work.

...and in other news...facebook traffic from thailand jumps 5000%

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