[LINK] Rudd's vow, but cost of computers to hit states

[Marghanita da Cruz]

Richard Chirgwin wrote:
> Well, it may or may not be so...
> 
> Rules for educational funding.
> 1) All funding is inadequate. This is not strictly true, but where 
> shortfalls exist, they're so desperate that you have to look to any 
> possible source as a top-up.
> 2) All IT costs more than the budget. This is also not strictly true, 
> but it's true enough, often enough, so that any proposed budget can be 
> criticised as inadequate.
> 
> Put the two together, and you get the story below!
> 
> I love this line:
>> The State Government is considering using wireless laptops rather than 
>> expensive cable-connected desktop computers 
> "Laptops cheap, desktops expensive" is risible.
> 
> Looking at some of the other aspects of the story.
> - Various state governments have trumpeted "broadband in every 
> school"-type announcements. If it's not already there, then that's the 
> fault of the state governments. I don't see why NSW, after various 
> initiatives that fell short of their promise, should now claim a free 
> ride on the federal initiative.
> - I would forestall the "software licensing" argument by a statement 
> about FOSS, but it took more than a week to get my own Linuxed laptop up 
> to adequate function (still no sound or wireless, and none of the fixes 
> proposed in expert forums achieve anything). And, of course, there's the 
> suckerbait educational license our governments have signed up to, the 
> upshot of which is that they have to pay MS for computers with no MS 
> software on them.
> 

Richard,

The eepc ships with WP/Spreadsheet/Browser/Linux/wireless (and even virus 
protection software!) fully operational. On a corporate level, the government 
should be able to negotiate pre-installed Linux. Though the real problem is that 
education departments do have agreements in place.

Also, from what I have heard the process is moving along. There is analysis of 
the age of computers and the ratios. So, the kids with nothing or the least 
should be at the top of the receiving list. Ofcourse this would leave a few of 
the Haves disgruntled.

Marghanita
> RC
> 
> Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
>> <brd>
>> Yet another poorly thought through IT project?
>> <brd>
>>
>> Rudd's vow, but cost of computers to hit states
>> Anna Patty Education Editor
>> March 29, 2008
>> SMH
>> http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rudds-vow-but-cost-of-computers-to-hit-states/2008/03/28/1206207408009.html 
>>
>>
>> The State Government is considering using wireless laptops rather than 
>> expensive cable-connected desktop computers to avoid some of the extra 
>> costs they have been lumped with because of the education promises 
>> Labor made before the federal election.
>>
>> Labor made an election vow to deliver a computer for every school 
>> child, but only committed to providing the hardware. The states have 
>> strongly objected to the huge extra costs, running into hundreds of 
>> millions of dollars, for the cabling, security, software licensing and 
>> maintenance of the centrepiece of Kevin Rudd's "education revolution".
>>
>> Left to foot the bill for the associated costs, the states have made 
>> it clear the Government should take care of its own election 
>> commitments. "They now understand that this is going to cost us a lot 
>> of money," said a spokesman for the NSW Minister for Education, John 
>> Della Bosca.
>>
>> A communique issued after the premiers' conference on Wednesday 
>> acknowledged that the Federal Government should be responsible for its 
>> election commitments involving extra costs for states and territories.
>>
>> At the same meeting, the Federal Government agreed to provide 
>> incentive payments to deliver education programs in disadvantaged 
>> schools. A working group from the premiers' conference is expected to 
>> negotiate with the states on which areas the payments will cover and 
>> how they will be distributed.
>>
>> The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, said yesterday that she 
>> wanted to deliver reforms in a nationally co-ordinated way.
>>
>> "Working with struggling schools, which are often in low 
>> socio-economic status school communities, will be a key priority. This 
>> will involve extra resources, which we want to make sure are 
>> well-targeted, integrated and focused on delivering improved outcomes."
>>
>> The Federal Opposition said many schools would get a computer but no 
>> internet connection.
>>
>> "The Rudd Government has refused to commit to funding the ongoing 
>> costs like broadband access, rewiring and adding power outlets, higher 
>> electricity bills, air-conditioning, security, insurance, maintenance 
>> of the network and hardware," said Brett Mason, the shadow 
>> parliamentary secretary for education.
>>
>> "These are not insignificant costs; the cost of rewiring a school to 
>> accommodate new computers will be over $100,000 for the average school."
>>
>> The president of the NSW Secondary Principals Council, Jim McAlpine, 
>> has written to principals advising them to hold-off on responses to 
>> the Government's online survey about what they need to achieve the 
>> promised digital revolution.
>>
>> "The [council] is currently in consultation with the Department of 
>> Education and Training to establish the best possible approach to 
>> achieving the digital revolution in our schools," he wrote. While most 
>> of you will have received letters from the Commonwealth asking you to 
>> start completing online submissions, there are dangers in jumping in 
>> too early."
>>
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-- 
Marghanita da Cruz
http://www.ramin.com.au
Phone: (+61)0414 869202