Obsolete Computers in schools

Media reports today have confirmed the Coalition’s long held concerns that the $2.4 billion computers in schools programme which was the centrepiece of the Kevin 07 election campaign will leave schools with hundreds of thousands of pieces of obsolete technology.

“The Computers in schools programme was originally budgeted as $1 billion for 1,000,000 new computers for every student in year nine to year twelve,” said Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education.

“Within months the programme blew-out to $2.4 billion, State Governments initially refused to participate and delivery times became so lengthy a year nine student in 2008 may have entirely missed out on receiving a computer before finishing year twelve,” he said.

“Labor also deceived Australians by changing the goal posts on this programme. They secretly surveyed the number of existing computers in schools less than four years old and included them in their total target.

“Some of these 300,000 computers could have been purchased in 2004 and are now eight years old, without the capacity to utilise the latest software and faster internet speeds.

“Now the Government has ended funding for the programme in this year’s budget, hundreds of thousands of computers will be left to quietly fade away.

“The grandiose computers in schools programme will become the ‘paperweights for schools’ programme in a few years.

“The Coalition has always maintained that while access to a computer is important for students the billions of dollars in this programme could have been spent on longer term investments, like teacher training, or disability funding for students,” Mr Pyne said.

June 25, 2012