$83M FOR SCHOOL LAPTOPSBy LARA PICKFORD-GORDON Thursday, August 26 2010
EIGHTY-THREE MILLION dollars. That’s the amount the Government will spend to purchase 20,400 laptop computers, Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh revealed yesterday. US information technology manufacturer Hewlett-Packard (HP) has been awarded the $83 million contract to provide laptops to all Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) students entering secondary school in the new school term beginning in September.
Distribution of 20,400 computers has been projected to start at the middle of September for 17,270 SEA pupils and teachers, who are to receive training. Negotiations are currently taking place with HP to finalise the contract by the end of this week.
“The Ministry has placed specific emphasis on ensuring the technical relevance and applicability of the machines particularly as the laptops are expected to serve students for multiple years,” Gopeesingh said at a media briefing at his ministry’s Alexandra Street, St Clair office.
The computers will have “enhanced specifications” to increase performance, connectivity and energy efficiency. These are: faster processing speeds, improved wireless capability, bluetooth connectivity, larger internal storage, faster hard drive speed, extended battery life, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 and Learning Essentials 2.0 for Microsoft Office. There are 133 schools and 18 private schools with internet connectivity and the ministry plans to increase the bandwidth from 3G (gigabytes) to 5G.
Gopeesingh said the comments of the public have been noted and steps taken to ensure protection and maintenance of the computers. The ministry is negotiating extended warranties and additional security features including Computrace, “which allows for tracking and recovery of lost or stolen laptops”. Students will receive “carry cases” for storage and to secure their computers while in transit.
“More intensive support and maintenance service agreements are critical in order to ensure on-site technical support”. In addition, Information Technology technicians from the ministry will be assigned to 151 secondary schools.
Bidding for the laptops closed on July 20 at 12 and Government selected HP from eight companies which submitted bids. Gopeesingh said Government was committed to providing the computers while ensuring the contract served the best interest of the country, the welfare of students and gave value for money.
Gopeesingh said the laptop initiative will extend beyond facilitating a secondary school education but also address the issue of the digital divide. Provision of laptops to SEA pupils was a major campaign promise of the People’s Partnership Government in the run up to the May 24 General Election.
Gopeesingh disclosed that financing for the computers was still being worked out by the permanent secretaries of the ministries of Finance, Education and Public Administration.
After the conference he disclosed that the ministry will have to give a down payment on the day the contract was signed which may be by next Monday.
“As the computers come into Trinidad and the distribution has started we have to give the other 60 percent and ten percent will be held until the final distribution,” he said. There will be a public education campaign to deter theft of the laptops.
“From the time you steal these laptops we will have a process of locking off connectivity immediately,” he said. Tracer markers will be put on the computers to locate them. Gopeesingh said security also included blocking certain sites from children accessing. Asked if the laptop initiative will take place next year, Gopeesingh was confident the programme will continue. Giving the rationale behind the laptop offer, he said, “we wanted to give the students the ability to have good technology so they could start learning from early on.”
Students will be allowed to take their computers home and Gopeesingh said the ministry will have to look at what arrangement can be made for parents who want their children to leave their laptops at school.
