PM Yingluck Worries Cheaper Computer Tablets May Not Be Good

[OzMick]

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.

No you can't.

No you can't do what? Do you think that B2 billion would be insufficient subsidy to attract a known producer of tablets to set up production in Thailand with a guaranteed purchase contract for X number of years?

[animatic]

I wonder if anyone of the internet providers have any of the right connections?

Built for Shin Satellite of Thailand, iPSTAR-1 is designed to provide both enterprises and consumers throughout Asia, Australia and New Zealand with various levels of Internet access services, competing with cable modems and digital subscriber lines (DSL).

It was quite slow.

[Buchholz]

I wonder if anyone of the internet providers have any of the right connections?

Built for Shin Satellite of Thailand, iPSTAR-1 is designed to provide both enterprises and consumers throughout Asia, Australia and New Zealand with various levels of Internet access services, competing with cable modems and digital subscriber lines (DSL).

It was quite slow.

The One Tablet For Every Student (sort of) Program or the internet connection?

,

[sparebox2]

Life is not fair.

Why should up-country children gets the same gadgets and opportunities as Bangkok student?

[tlansford]

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.

No you can't.

No you can't do what? Do you think that B2 billion would be insufficient subsidy to attract a known producer of tablets to set up production in Thailand with a guaranteed purchase contract for X number of years?

This would be a good mid- to long-term project.

[xthAi76s]

Life is not fair.

Why should up-country children gets the same gadgets and opportunities as Bangkok student?

First, I'll start by noting for the record that you seem to enjoy these 'wind up' posts, and you are indeed pretty good at it.

Nonetheless, I will answer for the record, in the event anyone else doesn't know you play devil's advocate all the time just for the sake of it.

One of the fundamental reasons countries like the US and many Western European countries are so vastly more wealthy and better living than countries like Thailand and many African countries is because the West rid itself of this idea that only the 'privileged' few should have opportunity. If you know anything of history and what makes strong countries strong, you would know this for sure.

Until Thailand figures out that the poor Issan farmer often has the same potential as say, for instance, the Thai Chinese banker, and, if the farmer is nurtured properly through a system of education that teaches him/her things like 1) his skin is beautiful just the hue/tone/darkness/lightness it is, 2) he can indeed change his 'caste' in life through hard work, 3) he does have a right to respect and his opinion should and does matter, and 4) he can achieve the same things people have who have been traditionally held up as superior beings -- ... until they do these things, they should not concern themselves with competing on the global stage. Certainly not with the West, and indeed not with countries like Japan, Korea, China.

They need all the help they can get and they are effectively ignoring a vast potential in the country.

Of course, if they are only interested in being the world's rice farmer and assembler, then the education system is perfect.

[animatic]

I wonder if anyone of the internet providers have any of the right connections?

Built for Shin Satellite of Thailand, iPSTAR-1 is designed to provide both enterprises and consumers throughout Asia, Australia and New Zealand with various levels of Internet access services, competing with cable modems and digital subscriber lines (DSL).

It was quite slow.

The One Tablet For Every Student (sort of) Program or the internet connection?

,

Well both really.

They COULD have made a purchase of quite a few good ones, with a long term contract to the manufacturer, and tax breaks and incentives to build a tablet factory in Thailand, with a built in market, and enough capacity to export and create many jobs....

instead, they pay China for crap, at the same speed of snails fornicating.

Edited February 24, 2012 by animatic

[Buchholz]

It was quite slow.

The One Tablet For Every Student (sort of) Program or the internet connection?

Well both really.

They COULD have made a purchase of quite a few good ones, with a long term contract to the manufacturer, and tax breaks and incentives to build a tablet factory in Thailand, with a built in market, and enough capacity to export and create many jobs....

instead, they pay China for crap, at the same speed of snails fornicating.

*Disclaimer: This is NOT video from Bangkok's Four Seasons Hotel*

.

[lannarebirth]

How about using those billions to increase the salaries for teachers, to get good teachers who actually know what they are supposed to be teaching. Errr, I saw that it is the Education Ministry that handles this. The same ministry that provided the questions in the recent nationwide school tests. Oh dear.

It is possible to do 2 things at the same time.

In fact, the tablet program will also force training for the teachers. Same as it is forcing the build up of the internet infrastructure.

If that's true, that would be a good thing. But I doubt it's true.

I believe it will come about simply because the training for the teachers makes sense & with a program this big, it cannot be ignored.

I would be very happy to be proven wrong, but I think these tablets are going to start breaking from the very first day. I think this program will lead NOWHERE, because it was not conceived as an educational program at all. It was conceived as a graft program, like all the others. The money will be gone and no one will know where it went and it will be back to edcation as usual, only maybe now with a bias against "new fangled" ideas. I DO think it's a good idea, but tablets would need to be AT LEAST as tough as those that cost 8-10 times more money and teachers of course should have been trained in advance, not after the fact. They've developed no curriculum for it, least of all english curiculum, which they claim is their new highest focus starting this year.

[janverbeem]

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.

.

And it is the perfect excuse to delay the handout further untill they can blame someone else for the cancellation of the program..................The military springs to mind.

[lannarebirth]

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.

Correct.

Correct²

[lannarebirth]

Life is not fair.

Why should up-country children gets the same gadgets and opportunities as Bangkok student?

First, I'll start by noting for the record that you seem to enjoy these 'wind up' posts, and you are indeed pretty good at it.

Nonetheless, I will answer for the record, in the event anyone else doesn't know you play devil's advocate all the time just for the sake of it.

One of the fundamental reasons countries like the US and many Western European countries are so vastly more wealthy and better living than countries like Thailand and many African countries is because the West rid itself of this idea that only the 'privileged' few should have opportunity. If you know anything of history and what makes strong countries strong, you would know this for sure.

Until Thailand figures out that the poor Issan farmer often has the same potential as say, for instance, the Thai Chinese banker, and, if the farmer is nurtured properly through a system of education that teaches him/her things like 1) his skin is beautiful just the hue/tone/darkness/lightness it is, 2) he can indeed change his 'caste' in life through hard work, 3) he does have a right to respect and his opinion should and does matter, and 4) he can achieve the same things people have who have been traditionally held up as superior beings -- ... until they do these things, they should not concern themselves with competing on the global stage. Certainly not with the West, and indeed not with countries like Japan, Korea, China.

They need all the help they can get and they are effectively ignoring a vast potential in the country.

Of course, if they are only interested in being the world's rice farmer and assembler, then the education system is perfect.

Vey well stated. I whole heartedly concur.

[tlansford]

- sniper -

It is possible to do 2 things at the same time.

In fact, the tablet program will also force training for the teachers. Same as it is forcing the build up of the internet infrastructure.

If that's true, that would be a good thing. But I doubt it's true.

I believe it will come about simply because the training for the teachers makes sense & with a program this big, it cannot be ignored.

I would be very happy to be proven wrong, but I think these tablets are going to start breaking from the very first day. I think this program will lead NOWHERE, because it was not conceived as an educational program at all. It was conceived as a graft program, like all the others. The money will be gone and no one will know where it went and it will be back to edcation as usual, only maybe now with a bias against "new fangled" ideas. I DO think it's a good idea, but tablets would need to be AT LEAST as tough as those that cost 8-10 times more money and teachers of course should have been trained in advance, not after the fact. They've developed no curriculum for it, least of all english curiculum, which they claim is their new highest focus starting this year.

Well understood. A lot of good points. I don't think (but I don't "know" either) that the program will lead nowhere. To get results will take time and effort and commitment - more than just hardware.

IF they invest the time, effort and commitment, then this COULD be a good program with long term results.

[whybother]

...

IF they invest the time, effort and commitment, then this COULD be a good program with long term results.

Given the track record of ... lots of things in Thailand, it's a very big IF.

[blows]

Thailand could afford better tablets, if the Shinawatra family wasn't taking a LARGE commission on the purchase.

[lannarebirth]

Thailand could afford better tablets, if the Shinawatra family wasn't taking a LARGE commission on the purchase.

It's my view that all this talk about bringing Thaksin back is a Red Herring. I think he and his family are VERY content for him to be away, outside the government (officially) so that he can frontrun every single project or scheme the government (he) develops. The country floods and he's in Korea talking to Korean flood planners, etc. All this talk of european experts coming in is just so much bullshit. Thaksin is much more comfortable dealing with other Asians who know what graft is all about.

[sparebox2]

Life is not fair.

Why should up-country children gets the same gadgets and opportunities as Bangkok student?

First, I'll start by noting for the record that you seem to enjoy these 'wind up' posts, and you are indeed pretty good at it.

Nonetheless, I will answer for the record, in the event anyone else doesn't know you play devil's advocate all the time just for the sake of it.

One of the fundamental reasons countries like the US and many Western European countries are so vastly more wealthy and better living than countries like Thailand and many African countries is because the West rid itself of this idea that only the 'privileged' few should have opportunity. If you know anything of history and what makes strong countries strong, you would know this for sure.

Until Thailand figures out that the poor Issan farmer often has the same potential as say, for instance, the Thai Chinese banker, and, if the farmer is nurtured properly through a system of education that teaches him/her things like 1) his skin is beautiful just the hue/tone/darkness/lightness it is, 2) he can indeed change his 'caste' in life through hard work, 3) he does have a right to respect and his opinion should and does matter, and 4) he can achieve the same things people have who have been traditionally held up as superior beings -- ... until they do these things, they should not concern themselves with competing on the global stage. Certainly not with the West, and indeed not with countries like Japan, Korea, China.

They need all the help they can get and they are effectively ignoring a vast potential in the country.

Of course, if they are only interested in being the world's rice farmer and assembler, then the education system is perfect.

So, you must be in support of giving out tablets to poor children all across the country, so that they may be a little more equal to children, say in Satit, who most of them already have an iPad or equivalent (as shown in a photo somewhere in this form).

However, have you not forgetten the fact that, as pointed out by many here, that most up-country schools don't have Wifi, some don't even have electricity. But I would say these not not so bad.

These tablets will more likely be used to play games, or watch porn, in the hand of the less privilege children. It will also affect their ability to read and write as they might over relay on voice readers and spell checkers.

It will also limit their ability in Maths, as these machines could be used to add, plot graph, convert number bases, compute trigometry, without needing the children to memorise and recite maths tables. Do you know that most student in Thailand think that pi is EXACTLY EQUAL to 22/7, as they are not allowed to use other more accurate value; trigometry ratio only come in 0, 30, 45 , 60, & 90 degrees, and nothing else.

Worst of all, these evil tablet (in the hand of the wrong child), may contribute to the destruction of one of human best loved hobby, reading a good book. Have you read a good book lately, or are you too busy with forum like ThaiVisa?

[sparebox2]

Thailand could afford better tablets, if the Shinawatra family wasn't taking a LARGE commission on the purchase.

It's my view that all this talk about bringing Thaksin back is a Red Herring. I think he and his family are VERY content for him to be away, outside the government (officially) so that he can frontrun every single project or scheme the government (he) develops. The country floods and he's in Korea talking to Korean flood planners, etc. All this talk of european experts coming in is just so much bullshit. Thaksin is much more comfortable dealing with other Asians who know what graft is all about.

Just like the last Finance Minister khun Korn, who is alleged to front run stock like SatTel, before going public to say that Thai government want to buy the stock back at any price, for security reason. I said alleged. Of cause stock price rocketed. There were rumoured that evidents show offshore have loaded the stock up, and offload when Khun Korn make the comment fueling the rocket. No major investigated were made. Why? Because SET (stock exchage of Thailand) is under th watch of Finance Ministry (then Khun Korn).

[xthAi76s]

Life is not fair.

Why should up-country children gets the same gadgets and opportunities as Bangkok student?

First, I'll start by noting for the record that you seem to enjoy these 'wind up' posts, and you are indeed pretty good at it.

Nonetheless, I will answer for the record, in the event anyone else doesn't know you play devil's advocate all the time just for the sake of it.

One of the fundamental reasons countries like the US and many Western European countries are so vastly more wealthy and better living than countries like Thailand and many African countries is because the West rid itself of this idea that only the 'privileged' few should have opportunity. If you know anything of history and what makes strong countries strong, you would know this for sure.

Until Thailand figures out that the poor Issan farmer often has the same potential as say, for instance, the Thai Chinese banker, and, if the farmer is nurtured properly through a system of education that teaches him/her things like 1) his skin is beautiful just the hue/tone/darkness/lightness it is, 2) he can indeed change his 'caste' in life through hard work, 3) he does have a right to respect and his opinion should and does matter, and 4) he can achieve the same things people have who have been traditionally held up as superior beings -- ... until they do these things, they should not concern themselves with competing on the global stage. Certainly not with the West, and indeed not with countries like Japan, Korea, China.

They need all the help they can get and they are effectively ignoring a vast potential in the country.

Of course, if they are only interested in being the world's rice farmer and assembler, then the education system is perfect.

So, you must be in support of giving out tablets to poor children all across the country, so that they may be a little more equal to children, say in Satit, who most of them already have an iPad or equivalent (as shown in a photo somewhere in this form).

However, have you not forgetten the fact that, as pointed out by many here, that most up-country schools don't have Wifi, some don't even have electricity. But I would say these not not so bad.

These tablets will more likely be used to play games, or watch porn, in the hand of the less privilege children. It will also affect their ability to read and write as they might over relay on voice readers and spell checkers.

It will also limit their ability in Maths, as these machines could be used to add, plot graph, convert number bases, compute trigometry, without needing the children to memorise and recite maths tables. Do you know that most student in Thailand think that pi is EXACTLY EQUAL to 22/7, as they are not allowed to use other more accurate value; trigometry ratio only come in 0, 30, 45 , 60, & 90 degrees, and nothing else.

Worst of all, these evil tablet (in the hand of the wrong child), may contribute to the destruction of one of human best loved hobby, reading a good book. Have you read a good book lately, or are you too busy with forum like ThaiVisa?

1. Actually, no I am not in favor of spending a limited money supply for education on tablets at all -- at least not in the manner this government appears to be acting in. However, I DID say that opportunity (Note: opportunity is a broad concept which need not apply to every narrow, often ridiculous concept) should be -- or at least an effort should be made to make it -- as equally available as possible.

2. I don't care about the particulars of the tablet program or its implementation or logistics because (as others have pointed out here), as a project it is being approached half-assed with no materials having been prepared, no training having been given to educators, and no formal curriculum having been prescribed for their use.

3. Your argument here, in particular, is correct around the idea that haphazardly giving 'toys' to children (without providing any direction and educational content from educators) could indeed inhibit their mental growth. However, your argument, in this narrow aspect, is far more particular than is mine, and, given the larger issue of education here, it misses the bigger problem. This stupid tablet program is an outgrowth of a fundamentally flawed educational system here affecting everyone who has gone through it: government person to farmer. Your argument does not 'see the forest for the trees'.

4. Yes, I have read a few good books lately. Thanks for asking.

Edited February 25, 2012 by ThailandMan

[whybother]

Four possible tablet PC candidates revealed

BANGKOK, 4 February 2012 (NNT) – Information and Communications Technology Minister Gp. Capt. Anudith Nakornthap revealed that China has proposed four tablet manufacturers who meet the Thai government's tablet PCs specifications, namely Huawei, TCL, Haier and Scope.

The ICT Minister said that the committee overseeing the purchase of tablet computers is currently in China to study the details of the four recommended companies. Only one company will be chosen in the hope that the price per unit could be bargained down from the current 3,100-3,400 baht. The committee will on March 5 decide which company the Thai government should purchase from, and forward the recommendation to the cabinet for approval on March 6.

The ICT Minister added that the Prathom one table giveaway is part of the Smart Thailand policy which focuses on equally spreading equipment and network usage across the country by 2015, while also aiming to cut ICT costs down to 3% of the population's income from the current 6.5%.

The tablet PCs specifications set by the Thai government include a seven-inch touch screen, 16-gigabyte memory, and dual-core CPU. The tablets must also operate under the Android 3.2 Honeycomb system.

-- NNT 2012-03-04

[whybother]

Somehow, the government are going to get 560,000 tablets ordered, delivered and in kids hands in 8 weeks.

[hellodolly]

Life is not fair.

Why should up-country children gets the same gadgets and opportunities as Bangkok student?

First, I'll start by noting for the record that you seem to enjoy these 'wind up' posts, and you are indeed pretty good at it.

Nonetheless, I will answer for the record, in the event anyone else doesn't know you play devil's advocate all the time just for the sake of it.

One of the fundamental reasons countries like the US and many Western European countries are so vastly more wealthy and better living than countries like Thailand and many African countries is because the West rid itself of this idea that only the 'privileged' few should have opportunity. If you know anything of history and what makes strong countries strong, you would know this for sure.

Until Thailand figures out that the poor Issan farmer often has the same potential as say, for instance, the Thai Chinese banker, and, if the farmer is nurtured properly through a system of education that teaches him/her things like 1) his skin is beautiful just the hue/tone/darkness/lightness it is, 2) he can indeed change his 'caste' in life through hard work, 3) he does have a right to respect and his opinion should and does matter, and 4) he can achieve the same things people have who have been traditionally held up as superior beings -- ... until they do these things, they should not concern themselves with competing on the global stage. Certainly not with the West, and indeed not with countries like Japan, Korea, China.

They need all the help they can get and they are effectively ignoring a vast potential in the country.

Of course, if they are only interested in being the world's rice farmer and assembler, then the education system is perfect.

So, you must be in support of giving out tablets to poor children all across the country, so that they may be a little more equal to children, say in Satit, who most of them already have an iPad or equivalent (as shown in a photo somewhere in this form).

However, have you not forgetten the fact that, as pointed out by many here, that most up-country schools don't have Wifi, some don't even have electricity. But I would say these not not so bad.

These tablets will more likely be used to play games, or watch porn, in the hand of the less privilege children. It will also affect their ability to read and write as they might over relay on voice readers and spell checkers.

It will also limit their ability in Maths, as these machines could be used to add, plot graph, convert number bases, compute trigometry, without needing the children to memorise and recite maths tables. Do you know that most student in Thailand think that pi is EXACTLY EQUAL to 22/7, as they are not allowed to use other more accurate value; trigometry ratio only come in 0, 30, 45 , 60, & 90 degrees, and nothing else.

Worst of all, these evil tablet (in the hand of the wrong child), may contribute to the destruction of one of human best loved hobby, reading a good book. Have you read a good book lately, or are you too busy with forum like ThaiVisa?

My point exactly why learn the basics when you have a pad to do it for you.

Wait until they have te basics for math, reading and writing then give it it to them as a tool not a replacement.

Kinda like getting Yingluck as a tool instead of a replacement for Thaksin.

[animatic]

If it's done right it should be:

Word processor with simple but flexible image placement,

6 up to date and comprehensive text books

for the childs year and two years ahead for the precocious

3 Rs, history, science, art/culture

An encyclopedia for research

A dictionary for spelling

A Thesaurus for alternate words.

Books for the students age level for reading.

With interactive chapter questions to be answered by each student,

and electronically transmitted to the teacher each class when requested.

it should not have a calculator until much later.

so the basics can be properly learned.

If this suite of learning materials,

and classroom wifi to teachers printer are implemented, this can be a very useful tool for the kids,

and reduce the and costs and physical load of books they must carry daily.

The problem is who will be OK'ing the text books and reading list choices?

Who will be doing the programing?

How interactive can they make it?

Etc.

[HaruHaru]

If it's Samsung it IS crap, they are the worst electronics manufacturer that ever existed.

You don't buy a lot of electronics do you?

Obviously NOT. lol

[Buchholz]

Confusion in Free Tablet PC Program

A concern was raised when the government first announced that it is planning to distribute free tablet PCs to all first graders across the country. Initially, the budget was set at about 5,000 baht per tablet. However during the first education minister's tenure, the procurement process did not get very far. Since Education Minister Suchart Khunploem has been appointed, efforts have been made to speed up the procurement process for the much talked about One Tablet Per Child project. Suchart has even proposed that more children should be eligible to receive the free tablet PCs.

He says that if the actual cost is below the budget, more tablet PCs could be given to the students in other grades.

In the beginning only the Education and Foreign ministries were tasked with buying the tablet PCs through a government-to-government deal. Yet, on February 13, 2012, the Cabinet decided that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry should also play a part in the procurement of 900,000 PC-tablets.

The government is hoping to hand out the tablet PCs by the beginning of the new academic year in May.

Deputy Permanent Secretary of ICT Ministry Worapat Tewthanom has been appointed to chair the procurement committee while other members are chosen from the Education and Foreign ministries. The committee has recently traveled to China to inspect the four manufacturers in the short list proposed by the Chinese government.

However, after having reviewed the specifications and prices, Huawei Technologies was eliminated from the list when its bid price was higher than others' which range between 81 and 83 U.S. dollars per tablet.

ICT Minister Anudith Nakornthap points out that the procurement committee has the full authority to choose the supplier and make recommendations to the project panel panel chaired by the education minister.

The ICT minister also pointed out that the supplier has already been selected but that name cannot be revealed, asserting that the negotiation has yet to be finalized with the Chinese government.

On March 20, the Cabinet announced that Shenzhen Scope Scientific Development has been awarded the concession to supply 900,000 tablet PCs to Thai students, and the procurement method has been changed from government-to-government deal to a direct purchase from the tablet PC maker recommended by the Chinese government. It was later revealed that there has been some mis-communication between the foreign and ICT ministries, which has caused the Finance Ministry to lodge a protest and force the government to switch from a government-to-government deal to this new and unusual procurement process.

The government cannot blame its poor execution of the program on a lack of experience because this is not its first month in office.

Instead, all of the involved agencies should have a sit down and discuss the problem together, instead of corresponding through official memos. The government needs to be more prepared in managing the program to ensure that the nearly one million Chinese-made tablets won't go to waste.

Taken from Editorial Section, Krung Thep Turakij Newspaper, Page 2, March 22, 2012

Translated and Rewritten by Kongkrai Maksrivorawan

Please note that the views expressed in our "Analysis" segment are translated from local newspaper articles and do not reflect the views of the Thai-ASEAN News Network.

-- Tan Network 2012-03-22

[Bagwan]

Has anybody considered the environmental disaster that ditching these tablets could cause when it becomes clear that they are of little utility?