China Offers Massive Loan For Thailand's One Tablet Per Child Scheme

[webfact]

China offers loan for tablet scheme

SUPINDA NA MAHACHAI

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- China has offered to provide a massive loan for full implementation of Thailand’s One Tablet Per Child scheme.

The Education Ministry was told of the offer by PM Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday.

"The loan will be big enough to procure tablets for all students," the ministry's permanent-secretary Panita Kamphu na Ayutthaya said.

This year, the government ordered 900,000 tablets from a Chinese supplier via the government-to-government arrangement. Currently, the projected number of tablets is big enough to supply Prathom 1 students only.

Panita said if Thailand accepted the offer, it could procure tablets for all students and gradually repay the debt later.

She said Yingluck had assigned the Education Ministry to study the pros and cons of the offer and determine the budget needed for the One Tablet Per Child scheme.

Panita was speaking after a meeting with Yingluck, Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana, Deputy Education Minister Sermsak Pongpanich, and top education officials.

The Education Ministry is now preparing to hold e-auctions for the procurement of 1.6 million tablets in the 2013 Fiscal Year.

Half of them will be for Prathom 1 students, and the other 800,000 for Mathayom 1 students.

"The procurements will be divided by regions but the e-auctions for all five regions will take place on the same day," Panita said.

The Office of Basic Education Commission's secretary-general Chinnapat Bhumirat said his agency was exploring measures to encourage private/government teachers to develop content for tablets.

"We may hold contests or promote the teachers' academic ranks," he said.

On the project to provide loans for graduates who wished to start their own businesses, Panita said the Office of the Higher Education Commission had already approved loans for three companies under this project.

-- The Nation 2012-10-31

[JimShortz]

I really hope they don't do this. The cheap tablet market is not yet a mature one; they're destined to improve massively in the next few years and it would be awful if Thailand was left repaying debt for "early adopter" type tablets.

It's also true that there is very little educational material made for these tablets just yet. SLOW DOWN!

[chainarong]

My biggest worry , what strings are attached to this kind gesture, China has a reputation of riding rough shod over feel good endeavours hence the Burmese seeing the light.

[noitom]

This is a great hustle. The Chinese sensing Thailand's internal debates over the tablet program causing delays in follow up orders is providing an "incentive" to the corrupt Thai government purchasing bureaucracy. The Chinese are dangling some heavy cash up front. This of course captures the immediate attention of the army of Thai hustlers, swindlers, and skim experts.

The order goes in, the cash gets circulated, the Chinese export bank does its invoicing, interest on the debt, and account billing to Thailand, old version tablets already tooled in China will come off the assembly line and ship to dark Thai warehouses.

Thailand will be paying down this loan long after the tablets have gone or are already obsolete. The Thai skimmers will have pocketed the siphoned cash from the loan front money. All in all a great deal for the Chinese and Thai hustlers and a bad day for Thai students a setback to Thai education. Well done Thailand. Great going.

[virtualtraveller]

Repay the loan with overpriced rice?

[siampolee]

Repay the loan with overpriced rice?

Repay the loan with over aged rice ? ( past its sell by date)

[StefanBBK]

My granny always said, if you don't have the money, you cant buy it. She was right.

Nobody seems to care for the fact that each an every year more tablets will be needed, for the next generation of first graders to come. Those will cost money too.... Also the tablets would need to be raplaced latest in grade 4, as the will be surely broken by then.

This "greek style" economy is utter madness, especially involving the Chinese, who are ruthless (perhaps too strong of a word) business men.

Sent from my GT-P7500 using Thaivisa Connect App

[Fozfromoz]

My biggest worry , what strings are attached to this kind gesture, China has a reputation of riding rough shod over feel good endeavours hence the Burmese seeing the light.

Only thing straight about a Chinaman is his hair :-)

[Buchholz]

She said Yingluck had assigned the Education Ministry to study the pros and cons of the offer and determine the budget needed for the One Tablet Per Child scheme.

One would think they had already done this as this is exactly what they initially promised to provide pre- and post-election, instead of what it eventually morphed into, the One Tablet Per 10 Children scam.

.

[Thai at Heart]

I can't remember what they claim to be paying for these tablets, but with sale prices for say the very high spec'd nexus 7 at 199 USD, buying in large volume, and other generics at 3,000 baht +, they should be able to get very nicely specified tables at a great price. I would suggest that some quick minded person starts putting all the text books in apps, but of course, that is a monstrous domestic industry turning out the same books year after year. Then add in ludicrous volumes of photocopying of text books that goes on and Double A will probably block the idea too.

Just as well we just got 3g, because if say 10mn extra tablets all hook onto the wifi at the same time for an update, I guess the whole country can kiss its bandwidth goodbye. Although, how many schools have worthwhile amounts of wifi coverage anyway? Very few one would guess.

Be interesting to see the interest rate on this.

Edited October 31, 2012 by Thai at Heart

[whybother]

Have they actually delivered the first 900,000 yet?

[Buchholz]

Have they actually delivered the first 900,000 yet?

They are still waiting on the manufacturer from the country that "Offers Massive Loan For Thailand".

.

[whybother]

Have they actually delivered the first 900,000 yet?

They are still waiting on the manufacturer from the country that "Offers Massive Loan For Thailand".

I thought they were all supposed to be delivered by August 18.

[KarstenBoAndersen]

What about the kids at orphanee´s ?

They can not go to local schools, and they do only have limited teachers at site !

They would have a lot out of such tablets !

[ballpoint]

She said Yingluck had assigned the Education Ministry to study the pros and cons of the offer and determine the budget needed for the One Tablet Per Child scheme.

One would think they had already done this as this is exactly what they initially promised to provide pre- and post-election, instead of what it eventually morphed into, the One Tablet Per 10 Children scam.

.

Quite right. One of their key campaign promises was one tablet per child. Over a year later we have yet to see one tablet per point one of a child, and now they admit that they have never determined the budget for this scam? They're admitting that the money already thrown into it, with very little results, was done so with no idea of how much they'd ultimately need to provide. And presumably educated people are coming on here in support of this government?

[Moruya]

To the tune of Monty Python's "Spam" song.....

Debt, debt, debt, debt, debt.....

[saengsureeya]

Why don't they accept the loan and spend it on education in general.

School-material, school-furniture and Chinese teachers can be obtained in China.

This will last longer than a tablet.

[sirchai]

The Education Ministry was told of the offer by PM Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday.

Will go back to bed now, she makes me sick.

[Payboy]

The Education Ministry was told of the offer by PM Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday.

Will go back to bed now, she makes me sick.

Don't forget to take a tablet.

[GentlemanJim]

To the tune of Monty Python's "Spam" song.....

Debt, debt, debt, debt, debt.....

Much easier, and remaining in tune to insert the word 'scam'

[Katipo]

Why don't they accept the loan and spend it on education in general.

School-material, school-furniture and Chinese teachers can be obtained in China.

This will last longer than a tablet.

Yes, that's a great idea.... or even better, why don't they use the money already allocated for education in the manner intended, instead of siphoning it off into corrupt officials pockets.

[madmitch]

Win-win for China: provide the product and the financing.

[OzMick]

I'm sure her brother has informed her of the benefits received by both parties when he extended such a loan to Myanmar to buy out-of-date Shin telecommunication products.

Benefit for Thailand is not part of the decision.

[rubl]

The 900,000 tabletPCs ordered so far seem to have cost between THB 2 and 3 billion. Assuming about 10 million kids and the later years requiring a bit higher spec tabletPC I would guess another THB 30 billion is needed to get one for all with a THB 3 billion budget needed for yearly replacements. Nice business if you can get it.

BTW school holiday almost finished. All teachers had a special 'teach the teachers' training? Any more tabletPCs delivered, or are we still stuck at barely 400,000?

[hellodolly]

She said Yingluck had assigned the Education Ministry to study the pros and cons of the offer and determine the budget needed for the One Tablet Per Child scheme.

One would think they had already done this as this is exactly what they initially promised to provide pre- and post-election, instead of what it eventually morphed into, the One Tablet Per 10 Children scam.

.

You beat me to it.

I wonder how many on the street will see the ineptness in this whole scam scheme. Here we are over a year into it and they are looking for a way to pay it. They had the cash but had to buy high priced rice so they could sell it low. In a way it might work out for them they can make the interest payments in rice.

[MunterHunter]

I would hope even PTP would not be as stupid as to actually say yes to this...

[sunshine51]

My biggest worry , what strings are attached to this kind gesture, China has a reputation of riding rough shod over feel good endeavours hence the Burmese seeing the light.

Only thing straight about a Chinaman is his hair :-)

I've run outta "likes"...and I agree with this 100%.

[hellodolly]

Have they actually delivered the first 900,000 yet?

They are still waiting on the manufacturer from the country that "Offers Massive Loan For Thailand".

I thought they were all supposed to be delivered by August 18.

They were.

But it is the PT so it is OK to not do what they say they are going to do. Now if it was the Dems we would be fighting fires in down town Bangkok. Possibly raiding a hospital or two.

[Lancelot]

Slick move by the People's Republic of China- soft power in action. I'm sure the timing of this generous offer has nothing to do with the ongoing squable between China and some ASEAN member countries.

Can you say "Spratly Islands?"

[drdoom6996]

This sounds like a woman with a credit card that her husband has to pay off. In this case the husband is the tax payers of Thailand. I'm just glad my biggest worry is my next "T" time. Good luck everybody.