One Tablet Per Child: Auction to select new tablet-computer supplier

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POPULIST POLICY
Auction to select new tablet-computer supplier
Supinda na Mahachai
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- An e-auction will soon take place to select a new supplier for the One Tablet Per Child project, which has run into serious problems this academic year.

For the 2013 academic year, the project has not yet handed out any tablets to students.

The new supplier will be chosen to replace Shenzhen Yitao Intelligent Control, which initially won purchase contracts but was unable to deliver the products.

The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) has confirmed that it has already terminated the contracts with Shenzhen Yitao Intelligent Control.

Caretaker Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang expected the Obec to call for bids within one or two weeks from now.

He hoped the tablet delivery from the new supplier would be completed by June.

Shenzhen Yitao Intelligent Control in fact won the contracts to deliver about 800,000 tablets to Prathom 1 students across the country.


-- The Nation 2014-02-11

[TVGerry]

Another failed scam by the Shinawatra government. And the sad thing is, they still try to force it through. How much more of our tax payer money will they waste again? Easy to throw money around when it isn't your own isn't it?

[NongKhaiKid]

Another failed scam by the Shinawatra government. And the sad thing is, they still try to force it through. How much more of our tax payer money will they waste again? Easy to throw money around when it isn't your own isn't it?

Spot On Gerry and while the govt wastes more cash they don't have somebody will be making money on arranging, approving the contract.

Everyone can then be happy, job done and ' see, we always fulfill election promises. "

[Robby nz]

Does not his come under the same thing as the rice, putting an obligation on a future government ?

Should it not be put on hold for if the next elected Govt decided to scrap the scheme they would then be liable for some comeback from any supplier who had a contract ?

[patjem]

Ridiculous action, but typical PTP.... They can't even pay the rice farmers but still want to push, to spend more money they don't have on tablets in another failed policy. Not like they will be spending on anything of high quality..... no no no. The cheapest they can possibly find through an auction.

[Thait Spot]

Scrap this nonsense and pay the farmers

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Robby nz]

I suppose it would be money that comes out of the education budget which would deprive schools and kids of something more important.

[JRSoul]

If PTP really wanted more votes they would scrap the tablets and restore the Dem policy of subsidising texts and uniforms. But Thaksin wouldn't like it.

[speedtripler]

Does not his come under the same thing as the rice, putting an obligation on a future government ?

Should it not be put on hold for if the next elected Govt decided to scrap the scheme they would then be liable for some comeback from any supplier who had a contract ?

if i was that tablet supplier ,id be pretty concerned about getting my cheque in the mail from thailand at its current status .........

he might be left with a warehouse of tablets he cant sell ..........or a receipt for a shitload of bad rice

[Tatsujin]

One more thing they'll find them getting hauled over the coals over when they realize they are only a "caretaker" Govt and can't just do what they want to do when they want to do it regardless.

[Somtamnication]

Please please, I hope the new tablets POWER ON!

[taony]

This is one of the worst policies I've ever heard of, even without any corruption or incompetence. The tablets will never work. Each classroom will need three IT technicians running around trying to keep the tablets connected to the internet and not crash. Stuff like this you need to wait for generation 27 before its reliable in a situation like a classroom full of kids.

[Senyo]

This is one of the worst policies I've ever heard of, even without any corruption or incompetence. The tablets will never work. Each classroom will need three IT technicians running around trying to keep the tablets connected to the internet and not crash. Stuff like this you need to wait for generation 27 before its reliable in a situation like a classroom full of kids.

How can a government place an order for 800 000 tablets with a company that never produced a tablet before??? Just google the company - they are in the home appliances electronics - smart coffee pots, etc.

[patjem]

This is one of the worst policies I've ever heard of, even without any corruption or incompetence. The tablets will never work. Each classroom will need three IT technicians running around trying to keep the tablets connected to the internet and not crash. Stuff like this you need to wait for generation 27 before its reliable in a situation like a classroom full of kids.

The type being tendered are not exactly an Apple iPad (such as was held aloft by Yingluck during the 2011 election campaign), they are the cheapest ones that they can possibly get hold of, which is why they want to hold an e-auction for the business tender.

Not that this matters to PTP: it is more important on who can make a profit from the deal.... I wonder who might be stakeholders in any company that is willing to bid in this e-auction? I wonder what kinda companies would even tender a bid to do business with an organisation that is already broke and can't pay the farmers, and is currently a 'caretaker government' apparently without officially having the power to commit funds: what hope is there of being paid?

[bigbamboo]

This is one of the worst policies I've ever heard of, even without any corruption or incompetence. The tablets will never work. Each classroom will need three IT technicians running around trying to keep the tablets connected to the internet and not crash. Stuff like this you need to wait for generation 27 before its reliable in a situation like a classroom full of kids.

How can a government place an order for 800 000 tablets with a company that never produced a tablet before??? Just google the company - they are in the home appliances electronics - smart coffee pots, etc.

.

How can a government appoint a Prime Minister who has never been involved in politics before?

That's why they call it Amazing Thailand.

[taony]

My point is besides all those things, its a dumb idea. In a language class i was taking, a major company came in with their tablets and the software they were very proud of, but could never get it to work right for everyone at the same time. It became a distraction and after the first week the teacher abandoned it.

Not add in all the crap that goes in Thailand and yeah, disaster. But here it probably was never meant to work anyway.

-*I typed this myself*-

[Scamper]

Where is the administration's authority to hold this auction ? Where will the money come from ? How can a new supplier signed up in two weeks, come up with 800,000 tablets by June ? When will Pheu Thai arouse itself from its dream - the dream that it is still in power ? Or even competent ?

Edited February 11, 2014 by Scamper

[Soi Sauce]

Are these the type of tablets kids can eat to take negate the hunger pangs they are suffering from because their rice farmer parents cannot afford food for their children because they have not been paid by the government?

[Torrens54]

Okay, so I think I've got it right.

We get a bunch of "would-be" suppliers in a room and get them to bid against each other to see how much they'll pay me to award them the supply contract?

Sounds like a real Money Spinner to me.

[tilac2]

You old lags need to get out more. Info Techology is the way of the future and these tablets might well give the kids a head start. If you did get out more you'd see that young people in universities in Thailand are busy developing apps and software for all kinds of uses, from tourism to gaming to warehouse management to community development. These tablets could help prepare a new generation to take things a step higher.

I'd suggest that the Thai education authorities might have a better sense of what young people need than a bunch of old farang has-beens stuck in a 1960s mind-set of blackboards and chalk - and with nothing better to do than post ignorant bile on internet forums.

[casualbiker]

You old lags need to get out more. Info Techology is the way of the future and these tablets might well give the kids a head start. If you did get out more you'd see that young people in universities in Thailand are busy developing apps and software for all kinds of uses, from tourism to gaming to warehouse management to community development. These tablets could help prepare a new generation to take things a step higher.

I'd suggest that the Thai education authorities might have a better sense of what young people need than a bunch of old farang has-beens stuck in a 1960s mind-set of blackboards and chalk - and with nothing better to do than post ignorant bile on internet forums.

You seem to be thinking that the Education ministry is modern ,,, how far wrong could you be!

You are ONLY defending this because people are berating the government.. Rightly so!

This scheme is NOT for young people in university or even high school or even upper primary/elementary.

These tablets were for lower Primary P1 6 years old, Kids straight out of Anuaban (kindergarten)

http://thailand.angloinfo.com/family/schooling-education/education-system/

And there is nothing wrong with black boards but whiteboards are better (most Thai schools now have them) in fact almost all Thai schools have electricity and running water (but again NOT ALL)

in fact more and more School principles are advocating interactive white boards instead of the tablets, therefor including the kids in the class.

ps: maybe keep your own ignorant bile in check.

Edited February 11, 2014 by casualbiker

[tomyummer]

In the meantime, the specs of the tablets have gone through increases. Are they still bidding on the original ipad specs or ipad 2, 3, 4, or air? Maybe it should be anticipated and go straight to smart watches? I've got and old Samsung Note for sale. Only a year old but I'm waiting for the Note 6 which should be out in a few months.