PC gone mad
Giving PCs to low-income families is another bonkers initiative (Government aims to bridge digital divide).
These people cannot afford a PC, but can afford the latest trainers, 20 cigarettes per day, £20 per week on pay-as-you-go mobile and an Xbox.If the area is that deprived, how long will it be before the thing is stolen, smashed, lost or damaged? It is not the cost of the computer - laptops are about £200 and
going down in price all the time - it is the huge phone bill they will run up if they get a phone line. That is what community centres and libraries are for.
What money-wasting morons governments are. Still, there is plenty more money where that came from. Tax the workers and let the indigent play on their free PC.
B Green
The CfP scheme is bundled either with a 3G modem and a data limit (e.g. 4GB per month) or they have ADSL contracts, so there is no issue of them running up a large phone bill.
As for them being able to afford an X-Box but not a computer, this may be true - but it is a sad fact of life that kids would rather have an X-Box + expensive games, than have a PC. Providing a family with a PC not only encourages pupils but the whole family to use IT.
I believe the notebook is school property, so any loss is treated as 'losing' school property in the same way as any other school equipment.
I do agree that giving laptops away like this is not the best use of funds (especially as notebooks become useless piles of junk after about 2 years and often don't even last that long in the hands of juveniles!). I would rather they were given PCs rather than notebooks or the money just went to hire a good teacher (rather than an LSA) or on teacher training.
Providing equipment is not education; give a student a pen and you get a scribbler, but fire his imagination and you get a Shakespeare!
Steve
Posted by: Steve | Friday, 14 March 2008 at 10:23 AM