No Deal On Computer Tablets, Thai Education Ministry Prepares Textbooks

[Skywalker69]

The silence by the TV Red Shirts is palpable...

Shhy, don´t wake em´up?

No. Wake them up. I'd be quite interested in their view on this.

Yes you´r right sorry.

Hallo, wakeup all red TV supporters.

[CqK]

"Sadly this seems to be turning into 'one textbook per child'. "

That would be a major improvement. In the rural areas they have one textbook for per five or ten children.

Or the xeroxed copies of a phantom textbook.

[connda]

P1? I can't think of a worse grade to hand these out to anyway. What a cluster****.

[jerrysteve]

Economics 101 Greed Exceeded Supply.

Edited April 25, 2012 by metisdead
Bold font removed, again.

[rubl]

Vaguely mentioned in one or two posts, but no real response:

The MoE has repeatedly asked for increased budgets to an ever increasing number of tabletPCs. Could be around THB 2.3 billion by now. The budget (aka subsidy) for books and school uniforms has been absorbed.

So parents have to pay for school uniforms (remember when during a BKK election campaign walkabout a lady almost assaulted k. Abhisit saying the subsidy wasn't enough?), books to be bought again, costs of living ever increasing, etc., etc.

Let's hope for Pheu Thai there will not be many more by-elections. Not because some diehards will decide to vote Democrats all of a sudden, much more likely people voicing their displeasure by not voting.

BTW any insight in what's left of the budgets? Even a project which didn't get to the signing stage will have incurred various costs, manhours, travelling expenses, entertainment, and the like.

[whybother]

Vaguely mentioned in one or two posts, but no real response:

The MoE has repeatedly asked for increased budgets to an ever increasing number of tabletPCs. Could be around THB 2.3 billion by now. The budget (aka subsidy) for books and school uniforms has been absorbed.

So parents have to pay for school uniforms (remember when during a BKK election campaign walkabout a lady almost assaulted k. Abhisit saying the subsidy wasn't enough?), books to be bought again, costs of living ever increasing, etc., etc.

Let's hope for Pheu Thai there will not be many more by-elections. Not because some diehards will decide to vote Democrats all of a sudden, much more likely people voicing their displeasure by not voting.

BTW any insight in what's left of the budgets? Even a project which didn't get to the signing stage will have incurred various costs, manhours, travelling expenses, entertainment, and the like.

Interesting about the various budgets. Tablet budget isn't going to be used. Rice pledging had a very small take up. House budget hasn't been used much. A couple of others that haven't taken off very well either.

I wonder what's going to happen to all that money now.

[Trouble]

Sadly, the same sorts of promises will be trotted out for the next election campaign, and the next, and the next. It worked for TRT, and for PPP, and now for PT. Just as long as enough Thai voters stay as gullible as their predecessors, similar election promises will work to garner votes.

I noticed the posters (shown above) came out about 2 to 3 weeks before the election. They were obviously the brainchild of Mr. Deception himself (Thaksin thinks / Puea Thai Acts). What if Thailand tried something like debates among canditates - in the months leading up to elections? Naw, wouldn't work. Thais are too easily offended, and too quick to slap defamation of character suits at the slightest affront. Ok then, it's back to putting up posters a couple weeks prior to elections.

Are the fake promises in Thailand any different than here in the USA or other countries where politicians promise everything and deliver nothing?

[whybother]

Are the fake promises in Thailand any different than here in the USA or other countries where politicians promise everything and deliver nothing?

Yes. The difference is that the US electorate mostly understand that they are fake promises. They also usually remember that at the next election.

[JohnAllan]

Suchart should learn the English, or Latin alphabet. A plan B should follow a plan A . Sadly, there was no plan A.

[JohnAllan]

Are the fake promises in Thailand any different than here in the USA or other countries where politicians promise everything and deliver nothing?

Yes. The difference is that the US electorate mostly understand that they are fake promises. They also usually remember that at the next election.

Note: 'mostly understand', and 'usually remember', thus explaining how GWB and the intelligent world's nemesis, Richard Head Cheney, were re elected.

[davidstipek]

He said his ministry had a budget for textbook procurement.

They do? Earlier the Education Ministry had said the tablet budget was using up the textbook budget.

I am less enthusiastic about the tablet scheme now that I know they will spend 10% of the national education budget on it.

Yes, that was the news today. 6 BILLION BAHT per year.

The new Education Minister went on to say that it would come out of the budget that was previously devoted to providing free school uniforms for students as well as free textbooks

The clueless guy EM Worawut, who obviously has never come close to caring for school-aged children, said, "This will not affect students and the overall education program because... uniforms do not need to be changed to new ones every year."

What a moron.

Another gem from the Chief of Educating the Youth of Thailand, "The tablets will not completely replace textbooks. They will act like calculators that help the student to calculate faster."

Ahhhhh yes Modeling for us the Uniforms mandated by Parlement this year, we will see our Brightest 4th year, 5th year 6th and 7th year Students... Our 4th year will show us the new Knee length skirt and the boys the 30 Cm fashionable above the knee, cute huh?

Now next is our 5th grade with the mini skirt that has been proposed, along with the 6th rader in the Micro Mini... Say What The 7th grader Boy and girl... Their Parent Pulled them from the show... They looked like Punk Rockers with their School clothes shorter then there under garments... Who aproved this.... Parliment said they could wear the same clothes as last year.. this year??? (Speaking away from the Michrophone...muffled When He was in school ... didn't he grown any???? or was it that he wore his Dads Thai sarons and just wrapped his waist..... Somebody get him out of the... or any School related funding!!!!! I'm going to see our Monk at the Temple... This is a total disaster!!!!!

[Thaddeus]

Ahhhhh yes Modeling for us the Uniforms mandated by Parlement this year, we will see our Brightest 4th year, 5th year 6th and 7th year Students... Our 4th year will show us the new Knee length skirt and the boys the 30 Cm fashionable above the knee, cute huh?

Now next is our 5th grade with the mini skirt that has been proposed, along with the 6th rader in the Micro Mini... Say What The 7th grader Boy and girl... Their Parent Pulled them from the show... They looked like Punk Rockers with their School clothes shorter then there under garments... Who aproved this.... Parliment said they could wear the same clothes as last year.. this year??? (Speaking away from the Michrophone...muffled When He was in school ... didn't he grown any???? or was it that he wore his Dads Thai sarons and just wrapped his waist..... Somebody get him out of the... or any School related funding!!!!! I'm going to see our Monk at the Temple... This is a total disaster!!!!!

Hello, I'm the Microsoft paper-clip, you appear to have a bee in your bonnet, would you like some help with that?

[Buchholz]

They forgot to include mentioning a "Plan B" in their election campaign banner.

Rather, they said they would provide free tablet computers for all children (that's 11 million students in primary and secondary schools).

No mention lately of what happened to the nation-wide Free WiFi, either.

Interesting timelines today...

Thai students will likely have to wait longer than expected for their promised computer tablets, as the China-based provider can only produce around 1,000 per day.

The Cabinet recently approved the purchase of 1 million tablet computers for elementary students. If the company has the capacity to produce only about 1,000 tablets a day, it will take up to 1,000 days - or two years and nine months - to finish manufacturing 1 million tablets.

http://www.nationmul...s-30180638.html

It's just as well Yingluck's government reneged on their election promise of delivering eleven million tablet computers to all children in their now-erroneously-titled One Tablet Per Child scheme.

At that above production rate by the manufacturer the clone government selected, the small children would have already graduated school by the time their tablets became available.

.

Edited April 24, 2012 by Buchholz

[maidu]

The 'one tablet per child' idea was thought up by T, about a month before the election. Hence the posters getting printed and put along streets en masse, with other hollow promises. Yet another shoot-from-the-hip idea from T, which PT party sucks up without thinking - which then proves later to be a blatant ruse - to garner votes. The poster campaign has to happen fast, so there's no time for contemplation or debate.

Who will now get the nod for providing the now-promised textbooks? Will they be 'history-as-he-deems-it' books written by the Dear Leader Thaksin? He seems to control all else, why not write the books also? Don't be surprised if the book sellers/printer are bosom buddies of the Shinawatres.

[alfredthegreat]

Another scam! My son attends a Thai school here in Bangkok. I was told about the tablets so I told him. He was very happy about the plan. What do I tell him now? He'll grow up not believing what he is told by authorities. This is how the trust goes out of the window.

[OzMick]

They forgot to include mentioning a "Plan B" in their election campaign banner.

Rather, they said they would provide free tablet computers for all children (that's 11 million students in primary and secondary schools).

No mention lately of what happened to the nation-wide Free WiFi, either.

Interesting timelines today...

Thai students will likely have to wait longer than expected for their promised computer tablets, as the China-based provider can only produce around 1,000 per day.

The Cabinet recently approved the purchase of 1 million tablet computers for elementary students. If the company has the capacity to produce only about 1,000 tablets a day, it will take up to 1,000 days - or two years and nine months - to finish manufacturing 1 million tablets.

http://www.nationmul...s-30180638.html

It's just as well Yingluck's government reneged on their election promise of delivering eleven million tablet computers to all children in their now-erroneously-titled One Tablet Per Child scheme.

At that above production rate by the manufacturer the clone government selected, the small children would have already graduated school by the time their tablets became available.

.

Hmmm, around 30 years, unless they increase their production capacity manifold. So why not build the larger factory in Thailand and avoid import duty, shipping costs, etc? Every year there's another million students to supply.

[OzMick]

Another scam! My son attends a Thai school here in Bangkok. I was told about the tablets so I told him. He was very happy about the plan. What do I tell him now? He'll grow up not believing what he is told by authorities. This is how the trust goes out of the window.

A valuable lesson in life best learned young, especially if he's going to live in Thailand.

[pimay11]

Vaguely mentioned in one or two posts, but no real response:

The MoE has repeatedly asked for increased budgets to an ever increasing number of tabletPCs. Could be around THB 2.3 billion by now. The budget (aka subsidy) for books and school uniforms has been absorbed.

So parents have to pay for school uniforms (remember when during a BKK election campaign walkabout a lady almost assaulted k. Abhisit saying the subsidy wasn't enough?), books to be bought again, costs of living ever increasing, etc., etc.

Let's hope for Pheu Thai there will not be many more by-elections. Not because some diehards will decide to vote Democrats all of a sudden, much more likely people voicing their displeasure by not voting.

BTW any insight in what's left of the budgets? Even a project which didn't get to the signing stage will have incurred various costs, manhours, travelling expenses, entertainment, and the like.

Interesting about the various budgets. Tablet budget isn't going to be used. Rice pledging had a very small take up. House budget hasn't been used much. A couple of others that haven't taken off very well either.

I wonder what's going to happen to all that money now.

My guess is that a lot of it will go to these little fellows.

[Markaew]

Ones hopes that as the business ethics in China is very different to most of the world (although happily it is the same as Thailands) I hope the good disgruntled people from Scope say who received the tea money, hookers, elaborate gifts to get so far in this process before Thailand took back all their potential profit by charging them import tax. Guess they worked out that even paying tea money to get around that element, it would not be worth the effort.

Re the poster; I thought I saw this one or maybe my subconscious read it as such.

What happened to # 4?

It was so unrealistic they decided to forget about it before the poster was printed.

Definitely a reflection on the Thai education system.

[NanLaew]

.... TV is the biggest destroyer of intelligence and fitness on the planet. ....

There you have it folks. The very forum that you are reading right now is slowly destroying your intelligence and your body.

Be afraid... very afraid.

[Markaew]

if Steve Jobs can get the factory in China just days before launching the iPhone to design, engineer and change the face of it to glass, replacing the plastic, I'm sure China can pump out some basic tablets. This is just too convenient, and it smells.

Not until there is ink on a contract they won't. As noted in the article, contracts have not even been signed yet. How can a suppliers quote delivery schedules until the customer commits? The smell is someone waiting for their kickback on the sale and the Chinese are balking because they don't need the business and are on tight margins.

The Foxconn factory that Apple uses has 300,000 staff if I recall - that's a bit over 3 tablets per person for a day's work to pump out a million. The Chinese can pull it off for sure - if the right provider is selected.

That's assuming nobody else wants a tablet that day.

[NanLaew]

Another scam! My son attends a Thai school here in Bangkok. I was told about the tablets so I told him. He was very happy about the plan. What do I tell him now? He'll grow up not believing what he is told by authorities. This is how the trust goes out of the window.

Huh...? it was YOU that told him that he was getting a tablet, not the school. So YOU are the deceitful one.

PS. When he says, "I hate you daddy!", you can comfort yourself in the thought that he really means the current Thai government.

[NanLaew]

Are the fake promises in Thailand any different than here in the USA or other countries where politicians promise everything and deliver nothing?

Yes. The difference is that the US electorate mostly understand that they are fake promises. They also usually remember that at the next election.

Hence two-term Clinton and two-term Dubya (barely though).

The US electorate is like the Thai and any other electorate in that they all 'buy the dream' knowing full well that they never gave at the office, the check is never in the mail and the buggers will invariably cum in their mouths.

[animatic]

Why does the government Education Ministry have to pay import duty on ANYTHING it buys?

It is the government, not a independent company.

Or is it that the Import-Export Tax Department insists on it's cut

or they will slow the movement down to a total crawl with paperwork

and 'lost' shipments?

Oh, the cabinet didn't figure their cut into the mix.

So solly Charie

Why in the world does a Chinese company in Chaina pay ANYTHING.

after it's product leaves China.

Why is the sender EVERY considered liable for import duties,

if it is not even IN the country to recieve the merchandise?

The absurdity and stupidity displayed knows no bounds it seems.

And they are more worried about a porn pic causing loss of face.

Ain't nothing compared to this tablet debacle.

Import duty: That doesn't count, it is just putting the money out of the left pocket and into the right pocket.

It is like my wife gives me 100 Baht from our shared bank account which is filled by my salary....

It does happen that sender is liable for everything. But I don't know a good example where it is used. But it exists.

It is also super dangerous. If you declare the tablet as electronic toy you are most probable in the 30 % import duty range.

If they agree they loose 30 %.

If they disagree and go for a legal dispute they miss the delivery time and need to pay.

The only way out is another under the table(t) payment.

Maybe that was the setup??

Yes but it spreads the TEA MONEY around to more hands in the process, and that seems to be the point.

Someone got left out and is threatening to cause trouble if they don't get theirs as the products go through their departments hands.

[Markaew]

Another scam! My son attends a Thai school here in Bangkok. I was told about the tablets so I told him. He was very happy about the plan. What do I tell him now? He'll grow up not believing what he is told by authorities. This is how the trust goes out of the window.

A good lesson for him. Never believe a politician. My question to you is: Are you teaching him people are trustworthy in Thailand? Reconsider. My other question to you is if you are so worried about him having a tablet why don't you buy him one?

[animatic]

Are the fake promises in Thailand any different than here in the USA or other countries where politicians promise everything and deliver nothing?

Yes. The difference is that the US electorate mostly understand that they are fake promises. They also usually remember that at the next election.

Hence two-term Clinton and two-term Dubya (barely though).

The US electorate is like the Thai and any other electorate in that they all 'buy the dream' knowing full well that they never gave at the office, the check is never in the mail and the buggers will invariably cum in their mouths.

Well it takes much more money to buy their inattention

and it can't be done hand to hand.

[Buchholz]

The 'one tablet per child' idea was thought up by T, about a month before the election. Hence the posters getting printed and put along streets en masse, with other hollow promises. Yet another shoot-from-the-hip idea from T

from the same creative mind which sprung the highly successful Thailand Elite Card.

.

[Ferangled]

Another scam! My son attends a Thai school here in Bangkok. I was told about the tablets so I told him. He was very happy about the plan. What do I tell him now? He'll grow up not believing what he is told by authorities. This is how the trust goes out of the window.

A good lesson for him. Never believe a politician. My question to you is: Are you teaching him people are trustworthy in Thailand? Reconsider. My other question to you is if you are so worried about him having a tablet why don't you buy him one?

My question to you is how do you leap from politicians aren't trustworthy (that's a given!) to people in Thailand aren't trustworthy?! There's plenty of trustworthy people here, just not where the majority of expats choose to spend their time... perhaps venture out of Nana plaza once in a while?!

I would suggest that it's better to teach that trust should be earned rather than instilling a complete lack of trust of everyone in our children.

As to your 2nd question it's clearly just a bait; the point isn't that the poster "is so worried" that his child needs a tablet, the point is having been told he's to receive one now he'll be disappointed. If you are so concerned about his plight, you could always offer him one yourself?

[Ferangled]

Just for the record I have given my 4 1/2 year old a Samsung Galaxy, filled it with learning games and books and she absolutely loves it. She's excelling at school, is streaks ahead of the class and her written skills are coming on leaps and bounds.

I'm not saying that her improved performance is purely because of the tablet, but it's a great way of keeping her constructively amused. Most 4 or 5 year olds can pick one up and be totally comfortable with it after a few tries but just watch the number of adults continually struggling with their smart phones and gadgets...

I'm all for bringing technology into education, as such a growth industry it will serve children well to be comfortable with the latest techno trends. So many people are completely out of touch when it comes to IT, yet just look at the top performing companies - Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Google... it's fairly clear that technology is becoming an increasingly vital part of our lives.

There's a whole service industry that's sprung up just to help the current technologically impaired generation, who seem incapable of applying basic problem solving skills to anything mildly technical. When the work place revolves around IT, clinging onto the blackboards and text books in schools seems ignorant to me.

I know the actual concept of tablets as educational aids is completely lost amongst the storm of wanna be political commentators, as are most topics on here. Constructive comment has long since died out in preference to a continual smear campaign on either side, which benefits noone but the egos evident on TV.

I fully recommend that parents invest in their own tablets for their children, but clearly for the Thai parents with children at government schools, most don't have the luxury of being able to afford them. Hence it is a big deal when their children are promised them but they don't materialize...

As for the actual tablets to be used, forget these cheap chinese paper weights, stall until next year, wait for Microsoft to join the fray and evaluate Windows 8 dedicated tablet/ laptops before spending billions of baht on what will be obsolete by the end of this year.

[MILT]

Plan C, after it does not work with text-books 1 sheet of paper and a pencil for every child.....

Updated campaign poster :

Interesting that you point out there is no date on the election posters. What happens now pales into insignificance compared to the year before the next general elections. If in 2 years time there is progress with tablets, high speed rail, 300 Baht nationwide minimum wage, etc. PT will give the Dems another pasting at the polls. Maybe they aren't as stupid as you are trying to make them out to be.

Yes they are!