Firms making tablet PCs late and face fines: Chaturon

[Baerboxer]

All three suppliers are only 9 months late on delivery , as they should have delivered May 2013

Sounds a bit fishy isn't it ?

Have to wonder if they ever got paid anything.

It would be interesting to see how the 3 suppliers were chosen, how the specifications were established, the bidding process, the supply risk assessment and supplier evaluation and the actual contracts negotiated. Do then contain penalty clauses for late delivery? Do they have performance and quality clauses etc?

Which law were the contracts agreed on? etc etc. It would indeed be interesting to see the payment terms agreed.

[marcusd]

And off they go again, sprouting never to happen things.

Fine the companies?......cancel contracts?......there's been a lot of money changed hands no doubt....somehow all this has to be to disappear soon......

Information on there usefulness has been pretty sketchy. Has any one had experience with them? All I have heard is negative.

Unreliable and useless. A smartphone is better. A cheap laptop is more useful

[Scamper]

Business, Thaksin style. Lay huge daily penalties to companies that helped secure Pheu Thai's election of 2011 by making bids that delivered the worse possible PC tablets on the market at the cheapest price. That'll learn them !

[Old Man River]

Sorry if I missed it, but did the "govt" pay before delivery? TIT. Never pay b/f work is completed. Or maybe that was the "deal" i.e. order pay (brother in law/cousin etc.) to sit on the funds until said "contract" was forgotten then distribute said funds to "The Family."

The government must have paid something first, otherwise there would be no 30% pay off which is normally demanded at the signing of the contract. Most times it's out of pocket, but with such a large amount the 'lobbyist' may help to expedite some initial payment. Yes, I have experienced it first hand.

Your first hand experience is out of date.

[haroldc]

The Pheu Thai-led "Tablet PC per Child" initiative, which aimed to distribute free tablet computers to schoolchildren could be scrapped.

Officials are in talks about replacing the policy with a new way of enhancing education.

Pawit Thongroj, an adviser to Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang, says he will suggest to the minister that the provision of tablets to students in Prathom and Mathayom 1 classes ends.

A "smart classroom" using technology to enhance teaching and learning in schools could be introduced instead, the adviser said.

The smart classroom would be equipped with about 30 tablet computers, a smart board, server and class-management software.

The smart classroom would make better use of the state's education budget and avoid procurement problems such as those encountered with the free-tablet policy, said Mr Pawit, one of the Pheu Thai Party's education policy experts.

Although students will not have their own personal device, they will be able to make use of what the smart classroom has to offer.

The smart classroom will enable teachers to monitor their students' use of technology and allay concerns about young students surfing age-inappropriate content.

Mr Pawit said tablet distribution had entered its second year and data on the scheme is being collected and analysed.

The tablet policy, which was introduced in 2012, delivered about 800,000 tablet computers to all Prathom 1 students. The second phase last year was extended to cover Mathayom 1 students.

The number of delivered tablets so far is 1.6 million units, worth over 4.6 billion baht.

.......... maybe an excuse to cancel the contract and recoup funds.......... maybe...

The incompetence is staggering.

I rather liken it to "stealing from the mouths of babes." Contemptible...

[JetsetBkk]

Unreliable and useless. A smartphone is better. A cheap laptop is more useful

Have you got one? What does it look like?

[DLock]

All three suppliers are only 9 months late on delivery , as they should have delivered May 2013

Sounds a bit fishy isn't it ?

Have to wonder if they ever got paid anything.

You've never done business with Chinese firms have you.

Nothing ships till they get paid.

[retsdon]

The Pheu Thai-led "Tablet PC per Child" initiative, which aimed to distribute free tablet computers to schoolchildren could be scrapped.

Officials are in talks about replacing the policy with a new way of enhancing education.

Pawit Thongroj, an adviser to Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang, says he will suggest to the minister that the provision of tablets to students in Prathom and Mathayom 1 classes ends.

A "smart classroom" using technology to enhance teaching and learning in schools could be introduced instead, the adviser said.

The smart classroom would be equipped with about 30 tablet computers, a smart board, server and class-management software.

The smart classroom would make better use of the state's education budget and avoid procurement problems such as those encountered with the free-tablet policy, said Mr Pawit, one of the Pheu Thai Party's education policy experts.

Although students will not have their own personal device, they will be able to make use of what the smart classroom has to offer.

The smart classroom will enable teachers to monitor their students' use of technology and allay concerns about young students surfing age-inappropriate content.

Mr Pawit said tablet distribution had entered its second year and data on the scheme is being collected and analysed.

The tablet policy, which was introduced in 2012, delivered about 800,000 tablet computers to all Prathom 1 students. The second phase last year was extended to cover Mathayom 1 students.

The number of delivered tablets so far is 1.6 million units, worth over 4.6 billion baht.

.......... maybe an excuse to cancel the contract and recoup funds.......... maybe...

The incompetence is staggering.

I rather liken it to "stealing from the mouths of babes." Contemptible...

Of course it's Thailand, so there were obviously some kickbacks involved, yet I can quite believe that the scheme was undertaken with the best of intentions. But nothing was thought through. When I worked in Thailand even before Thaksin was ever elected, I saw the phenomenon at first hand constantly. Some bigwig would get a bright idea; the idea would be hurriedly implemented by unquestioning minions regardless of merit or feasibility; and then the whole thing would skid into the ditch when the plan met reality and lie there forgotten.

That's just how it seems to work most of the time.

[hellodolly]

And off they go again, sprouting never to happen things.

Fine the companies?......cancel contracts?......there's been a lot of money changed hands no doubt....somehow all this has to be to disappear soon......

Information on there usefulness has been pretty sketchy. Has any one had experience with them? All I have heard is negative.

A tablet is just a hand-held computer so it's only as good as what's loaded onto it or the network it's connected to. I work at a pretty hi-tech university in the Middle East and most of our teaching is done the old-fashioned way with books - simply because it's easier and more effective most of the time. Anyway, whatever the benefits, computers are no substitute for properly motivated teachers, a decent curriculum and manageable class sizes. But to fix the basics would require hard work and long-term commitment.

My own view of the tablet scheme is that it's gimmicky nonsense, but it sounds good and no doubt somebody somewhere is trousering a lot of money from it.

Thanks for your input. I think that they have a place some where in the over all scheme of learning but never as a replacement for the brain. As you say and a PM explained to me it is only as good as what is put into it. The Government is not interested in the students learning any thing so they are giving them pad's loaded with crap to keep their level of reasoning and logic down.

On the flip side of the coin maybe they could get prompt delivery if they offered a free ton of rice with every 1,000 delivered. On the other hand maybe they did and the manufactures said no get rid of your rotten rice some other way.

Bonus

Proof that even in the middle east this project stinks.

Any body seen a Yingluck/Thaksin fan lately. I guess they all agree it is a scam.

[hellodolly]

The Pheu Thai-led "Tablet PC per Child" initiative, which aimed to distribute free tablet computers to schoolchildren could be scrapped.

Officials are in talks about replacing the policy with a new way of enhancing education.

Pawit Thongroj, an adviser to Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang, says he will suggest to the minister that the provision of tablets to students in Prathom and Mathayom 1 classes ends.

A "smart classroom" using technology to enhance teaching and learning in schools could be introduced instead, the adviser said.

The smart classroom would be equipped with about 30 tablet computers, a smart board, server and class-management software.

The smart classroom would make better use of the state's education budget and avoid procurement problems such as those encountered with the free-tablet policy, said Mr Pawit, one of the Pheu Thai Party's education policy experts.

Although students will not have their own personal device, they will be able to make use of what the smart classroom has to offer.

The smart classroom will enable teachers to monitor their students' use of technology and allay concerns about young students surfing age-inappropriate content.

Mr Pawit said tablet distribution had entered its second year and data on the scheme is being collected and analysed.

The tablet policy, which was introduced in 2012, delivered about 800,000 tablet computers to all Prathom 1 students. The second phase last year was extended to cover Mathayom 1 students.

The number of delivered tablets so far is 1.6 million units, worth over 4.6 billion baht.

.......... maybe an excuse to cancel the contract and recoup funds.......... maybe...

The incompetence is staggering.

Right up there with trading chickens for fighter jet's.

[hellodolly]

Trace the conection with the Chinese companies who are susposed to deliver and the people in Thailand who have been involved in the bidding, payment, government finances, bid bonds, performance bonds, and I feel confident that a trail will lead to those who are laughing all the way to hiding their iill gotten gains.

The stong protests against this government's Ministries are coming from those who are on the front lines (teachers. healthcare workers, etc) Then add in those who pointed out the high probabality of failure from the get go, and there are no more 'monkeys' who believe in the unlimited crop of peanuts.

Many give PT the projection of a election victory, but who is going to vote for them. They have screwed several million rice farmers, rubber, corn, and fruit famers, then add in the individuals they left hanging with the other populist promises, as well as the general public who they promised, how much better off they would be, if "you give me a chance". Why would even a slight minority of voters vote for this group of total incompentants?

I seem to recall the first Chinese contractor refused to delivery the tablet they were contracted to make based upon non-payment. So I would agree with you, concerning the group who is responsible for the non-delivery of the tablets.

Who would vote for them again... Free whiskey, seems to be a very popular incentive to vote. At least in my village. Plus I have witnessed how well the ballot boxes are guarded at night. It is easy to remove all the ballots and stuff your own in there.

Of subject but it just goes to show why the PTP will nor consent to election reform before the election.

Back on topic. Would they be able to use the pads if they had them to add up the total of votes?

[retsdon]

"Mr Pawit said tablet distribution had entered its second year and data on the scheme is being collected and analysed."

I rest my case. Normal organizations would have piloted the scheme properly and tested the resulting data BEOFRE jumping in wholesale. Sheer blithering incompetence.

[surangw]

pay the fines out of all the kick backs paid to the decision makers.