By Felicity Ussher, 10 June 1999 00:20
NEWS PC manufacturer, Viglen, has teamed up with Microsoft to offer IT training to UK teachers. But education experts say local authorities are unlikely to be able to pay for it. UK-based Viglen will offer computer hardware at reduced prices to 100 new training centres in the UK, run by local education authorities (LEAs). Microsoft will supply the centres, known as Microsoft Education Resource Centres (MERCs), with free Windows software and licences. Viglen CEO, Bordan Tkachuk, said he was offering the hardware at a low price in order to drive the market for Viglen software. "The MERC project will establish the Viglen brand, and create profit potential for our ClassLink software, which is designed as a classroom interface for Windows," he told Silicon.com. He stressed that the project supported government training targets, but conceded: "We will be making profits, obviously." The DfEE (Department for Education and Employment) this year set aside a New Opportunities Fund (NOF) of £230 million to increase teachers' confidence about using IT within the curriculum by 2002. But Eve Gilman, acting CEO at Technology Colleges Trust, claimed LEAs could not pay for the MERC project with the extra funds. "NOF money can only be used for learning how to use software in the classroom - it's not about training teachers in different products. I don't know how the LEA's are going to pay for this project." Birmingham LEA was one of the first to sign up to MERC, but its technology strategists were unavailable for comment. Viglen's Tkachuk added: "So far, we've installed equipment in 12 centres. We're aiming to get all 100 centres operational within 12 months."
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