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Obec considers cash-coupon plan for tablets
Supinda na Mahachai
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) is considering the idea of handing out Bt3,000 cash coupons to parents so they can purchase tablet PCs for their children in the upcoming academic year, Anek Ratpiyapaporn, director of Obec's Technology for Teaching and Learning Office, said yesterday.

The idea - under which parents can buy their child a China-made tablet or a better brand if they cover the difference - was raised at a seminar on September 22 and is not yet finalised, he said. The seminar was held to discuss the policy of distributing tablet computers to Prathom 1 and Mathayom 1 students.

Aim to 'help the government'

Anek went on to say that the cash-coupon plan was seen as a way of helping with the state agency's procurement problems as some people thought the |procurement of tablets for |this academic year was rather slow.

An informed source reported that the government signed a contract with two bid-winning companies last week and the first batch of tablet computers should be delivered to Prathom 1 students in the Central, South, North and Northeast regions in 35 days after the signing of the deal. Tablet computers should also be delivered to Mathayom 1 pupils in the North and Northeast during the same period.

Bids for delivering tablet computers in the Central and South were previously cancelled and the company involved has now filed an appeal with the Comptroller-General's Department.


-- The Nation 2013-10-01

[orchidlady]

and of course their teachers are it experts capable of knowing right away how to use/demonstrate the use of every tablet model that a student's parents could buy. (providing they don't sell the coupon, other kids don't steal it from the 1st and 2cd graders given the coupons, or lose it).

[lawrence1366]

Another idea doomed to fail from the start.....sigh.

[worgeordie]

Would love to know how many of the tablets already delivered,

are still working?, but it will most likely be a state secret !

regards Worgeordie

[Businessman]

So let me see. The government can't get tablets for 3k each given their huge leverage with volume purchasing. But somehow parents will be able to buy for 3k buying individually. Some families can afford to top up some cannot. For those who cannot, will their kids be excluded from a curriculum designed to include tablets? This move by the government is a cowardly backpedal that will further disadvantage and/or burden the poorest.

I personally am not for the tablet programme, but regardless of right or wrong, it should be administered fairly and with equity to all intended beneficiaries.

[noitom]

These coupons will provide a nice Thai black market.

[SOTIRIOS]

....or cash them in for 1000 or so for food......

...who will get the difference.....

[AleG]

Wow, I'm impressed, they managed to make more of a pig's ear of the whole thing than it already was.

How on Earth are they going to install and run all the educational applications on who knows what brand, model and OS the parents may or may not be able to purchase with this coupons? Are the teachers qualified to trouble shoot this issues in class? how much time is it going to be wasted in that?

On top of that when (if) people start shopping for tablets at 3000 baht most likely they'll find them costing more than that, unless it'll be a rock bottom slab of pressed crap that won't last from the shop to the school, so they'll have to fork over extra money to get something decent. So much for free tablets then.

This incompetents are just trying to wash their hands off of their boondongle, nothing else.

[slapout]

Another vote purchase, except in this case its proposal is to be paid directly by the government to potential voters, This proposal may just possibly have more loop holes for loss of product than the rice scam.

The various populist vote buying scams have failed miserably from the get go, just due to non delivery of what was promised to voters, so this is the damage control, go for broke, thinking that we have come to expect.

[MaxLee]

Obec considers cash-coupon plan for tablets

What's the difference? A coupon is just another pesky piece of paper wasting time more time than buying any product directly. Have you ever come to a point, in those food courts, where you feel that buying coupons and then exchanging them is just a waste of time...

[boomerangutang]

Shoveling more dirt on the dung heap, and calling it chocolate.

We were assured, when the tablet buying scheme was first proposed, that there would be no corruption. Of course, we didn't believe that bullcrap then, and now the newspapers are unabashedly telling us the program has been rife with corruption and ineptitude.

The basic premise of the program was flawed all-along. Kids don't need little mal-functioning tablets to stare at, they need to play, run, laugh, frolic.

Now they can take those silly coupons and cash 'em in for a pittance. Plus, vendors can photocopy the chits and get a load of added money. From a Shinawatre perspective, it's win-win for all. It doesn't matter to them that all the winners are corrupt m.f's like themselves.

Edited October 1, 2013 by boomerangutang

[jbrain]

How about the tablets that were supposed to be delivered at the beginning of this term, but had some delays as usual.

Have they ever been delivered ?

[Neilly]

Aim to 'help the government'

And that's all it is...It certainly won't help the students ...my daughter is is in P1 and still nothing has been forthcoming, or even mentioned at her school

[Robby nz]

This is being proposed by The Office of Basic Education Commission

So it would seem that if this money (if it eventuates) will come from the education budget.

Is there not more pressing needs in education than this?

But of course the aim is to 'help the government' nothing to do with improving the education of the children.

[belg]

why 3000 ?

promotion in tesco for 1999