PM worries cheaper tablets may not be good

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday she was doubtful about the quality of the tablet computers after the per-unit price in the budget plan had dropped from more than Bt3,000 to just Bt2,500.

"The premier has instructed the Education Ministry to review the specifications to ensure that the devices are worth it," PM's deputy secretary-general Thitima Chaisang said in her capacity as acting government spokesperson.

According to her, the Education Ministry was seeking Bt1.79 billion for its plan to hand out 800,000 tablets to Pathom 1 students under the government's One Tablet Per Child Policy. The Budget Bureau was, in fact, prepared to allocate about Bt1.93 billion for the purpose.

Thitima was speaking after she emerged from the Cabinet meeting.

During the meeting, the Cabinet approved in principle the plan to arrange the procurement of tablets from China via a government-to-government contract. The foreign minister has been tasked with appointing representatives to lead negotiations on the procurement with the Chinese government as resolved by the Cabinet.

The resolution has also assigned the Information and Communications Technology Ministry to arrange the procurement, prepare Wi-Fi services and develop systems to facilitate the use of these devices for learning purposes.

The ministry's Office of the Permanent Secretary will be responsible of reimbursing the Budget Bureau, except for the portions Bangkok Metropolitan Administra-tion and Pattaya City will be using to implement the plan.

-- The Nation 2012-02-23

The foreign minister has been tasked with appointing representatives to lead negotiations on the procurement with the Chinese government as resolved by the Cabinet.

Cue Thaksin's/Yingluck's cousin to enter the disastrous coordination of a doomed "scheme."

They want him to lead negotiations for a massive procurement, distribution, and implementation plan.... and they think they'll have everything finalized and in place by their announced May start time.

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But surely now-PM Yingluck promised the students notebooks like her own one, wasn't it a reasonable Samsung-product, which she displayed pre-election ? Is she only now beginning to doubt her ability to deliver ?

She should read ThaiVisa, where the flaws have been widely-discussed, for months now !

Never mind ... it was only a 'pre-election promise'.

Her son probably told her they were crap

But surely now-PM Yingluck promised the students notebooks like her own one, wasn't it a reasonable Samsung-product, which she displayed pre-election ? Is she only now beginning to doubt her ability to deliver ?

She should read ThaiVisa, where the flaws have been widely-discussed, for months now !

Never mind ... it was only a 'pre-election promise'.

By stating the proposed tablets are too cheap, it's a way to justify an even higher expenditure than the Billions already allocated.

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If the incredible genius that is Yingluck says so , I believe!

Looks like 140M Baht has disappeared then. Nothing new there.

-mel.

Pre election promises mean nothing Tony Blair promised the British a referendum on Europe.

Any left wing govt is a bad thing.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

Of course they are not good. Anything less than the first Ipad is basicly crap.

They probably discovered that at the current price there was not enough left over for all the bribes attendant to anything procured by the Thai government

Some member of the government who can count past 10 without taking his shoes off must have pointed out that they are promising more than the country's resources allow. Of course, they can't publicly announce the cancellation of an election promise, so they cast doubts in the interest of greater efficiency, form an investigative committee which sits rarely if at all, and delay implementation until investigating committee, costing committee and implementation committee have made the final reports.

That way the only expense is the honorarium to the committee members, who (surprise, surprise) are MPs from the government party seeking a little extra cream on their gateau.

Pre election promises mean nothing Tony Blair promised the British a referendum on Europe.

Any left wing govt is a bad thing.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

Yeah, give a fascist jingoistic government any day.

Well whoop dee freakin' doo

No shit?

I Worried that all my decisions are wrong

So What, whos is going to stop me

2,500 Baht per unit? No shit. What is left for the tea-money? Better up the price a bit.

The foreign minister has been tasked with appointing representatives to lead negotiations on the procurement with the Chinese government as resolved by the Cabinet.

Cue Thaksin's/Yingluck's cousin to enter the disastrous coordination of a doomed "scheme."

They want him to lead negotiations for a massive procurement, distribution, and implementation plan.... and they think they'll have everything finalized and in place by their announced May start time.

And Thaksin is in Bejing at the moment, Coincidence? I don't think so. How much is the Shinawatra family making off of this as the middleman in this transaction?

What happend with the Samsung Galaxy you were waving around during the election campaign?

Her son probably told her they were crap

The best, probably most accurate post I have read on here for years.

But surely now-PM Yingluck promised the students notebooks like her own one, wasn't it a reasonable Samsung-product, which she displayed pre-election ? Is she only now beginning to doubt her ability to deliver ?

She should read ThaiVisa, where the flaws have been widely-discussed, for months now !

Never mind ... it was only a 'pre-election promise'.

yeah... nothing different with western politicians

Looks like 140M Baht has disappeared then. Nothing new there.

-mel.

same same any investment in LOS.. Na Kop

Have they even decided what these things are supposed to be running on them? For simple learning games and text books I fail to see why the latest and greatest is of any importance. I think they need to establish a software plan before the hardware even becomes a concern. They are putting these in the hands of children so they need to be rugged and inexpensive to repair/replace because having them break is inevitable. The whole scheme just seems half-baked.

No, the point of this whole "scheme" is to profit the people who will provide the tablets, infrastructure, wi-fi access, upgrades and before this is all said and done they will decide that while this scheme failed we owe it to the students to do it right the next time. and off we will go with another round of spending for no real return for the students only profits and payoffs for those involved in the procurement process.

PM Yingluck Worries Cheaper Computer Tablets May Not Be Good

Hope she doesn't loose any sleep over it. Micromanagement at it's best.

Have they even decided what these things are supposed to be running on them? For simple learning games and text books I fail to see why the latest and greatest is of any importance. I think they need to establish a software plan before the hardware even becomes a concern. They are putting these in the hands of children so they need to be rugged and inexpensive to repair/replace because having them break is inevitable. The whole scheme just seems half-baked.

A pdf reader and calculator. Thrown in a flash player and Thai (English not needed) dictionary. That's all it need for a Por 1.

Edited February 23, 201214 yr by sparebox2

The school logo on the girl (photo above) is Satit school. One of the best govt school in Thailand where ( http://prathom.swu.ac.th/ ) it is alleged that parrents have to pay upto 3 million to secure a seat. I said alleged. If you try to go through the entrance exams, the ratio of success is currently around 50 to 1 (my kids tried last year, and failed). She was photographed using a very expensive tablet (<10,000 baht). And notice the watch on the boy behind/ How many up-country school in Thailand allows children to wear watches? Note also the whiteness of her skin, give away as Chinese, with no trace of any Thai blood. And that is a PARKER pen she is holding; not a cheap horse brand biro.

These great schools (Satit, and most bi-lingual) already using tablets (as the photo show a typical class). However poor kids from poor schools, especially outside Bangkok have to share and recycle old school text book. Until Mark policy of giving free textbook to ALL kids, which is viewed by many as a waste of money, and UN-GREEN.

Note: Her glass glasses is already worth more than 5,000 Baht, that is twice the govt tablet).

Edited February 23, 201214 yr by sparebox2

Will she also provide them with a:

Burberry Tablet Sleeve

http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/main/ProductDetail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524446455352&afsrc=1&site_refer=GGLBASE001&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=5045349376916

With 1.9 billion, I can build an IT factory, capable of producing EVERYONE a tablet at the same low price as the China. At the same time, create thousands of jobs for the Thai people and also AT THE SAME TIME improve technological competitiveness internationally. Has that thought crossed anyone's minds? Injecting that kind of money into Thai economy rather than giving all the opportunities to China, and all the more reasons for Minnebea, Seagate and other IT factories to leave Thailand.

With 1.9 billion, I can build an IT factory, capable of producing EVERYONE a tablet at the same low price as the China. At the same time, create thousands of jobs for the Thai people and also AT THE SAME TIME improve technological competitiveness internationally. Has that thought crossed anyone's minds? Injecting that kind of money into Thai economy rather than giving all the opportunities to China, and all the more reasons for Minnebea, Seagate and other IT factories to leave Thailand.

But, but they want the tablets delivered in 8 weeks. Before you could even buy a plot of land.

Pre election promises mean nothing Tony Blair promised the British a referendum on Europe.

Any left wing govt is a bad thing.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

I think that all revolved around wether a constitutional change was involved. It was a bit borderline I agree but certainly not an outright lie. As for Tony Blair heading a left wing government many, particularly in his own party would dispute that.

As for the original topic it's difficult to know what's going on here at the moment but it does look like there will be delays at the very least. If I was being generous I would say at least the PM has noticed the flaws in this programme so far.