Computer plan delayed
Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang yesterday stepped back from his bold promise that the Bt8.6 billion plan to procure 250,000 computers for state schools across the country would take place before the April 2 general election.
Earlier, Chaturon had repeatedly announced the plan would go ahead before a new Cabinet was formed. "Now that I have consulted with the ministry's executives, I have found that the procurement will need to go through several procedures - and this will take time. As we are not sure whether all procedures can be completed before the new Cabinet is formed, we have resolved that we should wait for the new Cabinet to implement this project," Chaturon explained. Basic Education Commission secretary general Pornnipa Limpaphayom, said she was planning to propose that the ministry buy between 30,000 and 40,000 computers for the schools with urgent needs first, pending the full-scale implementation of the plan. "We may request about Bt500 million for this small-lot purchase," she added.
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