By Dan Ilett, 17 March 2005 09:45
NEWS
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has guaranteed £1.67bn of funding for computers for schools as part of a three-year plan.
In his budget speech on Wednesday, Gordon Brown announced the plan to raise spending on IT capital "because the teaching and educational revolution in our schools is no longer blackboard and chalk, it is computers and electronic whiteboards".
Primary and secondary school students will benefit from increased capital investment on buildings, technology and computers worth £1,000 per pupil per year by 2010 a £350 rise on last year's figure.
Senior students will also have the opportunity to lease computers at a low cost from schools so they can use them at home, Brown said.
Comments
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1. anonymous
It's all very well the government allocating extra money for schools, as long as the schools get it. In the county where I live, the County Council have consistently witheld funds which were allocated for schools and diverted it into some other form of "education"
2. Dick Winchester
Oh for some joined up thinking!! £1.6bn to spend on IT systems would in most countries be seen as a great industrial opportunity. Here, you can pretty much guarantee most of that cash will end up in the hands of Dell or HP or someone similar! This is tantamount to UK tax payers subsidising American companies... When I wonder will the penny drop?
3. anonymous
Cheaper than teachers??
The government probably see this as a solution to the ludicrous Workforce Remodelling legislation that the Teaching Unions forced them into - Guarantee each teacher 10% non-contact time (I have no issues with this) but then tell the schools it is up to them to implement and give them no extra money to pay for the extra staff needed to cover. Solution - put the children in front of a PC and call it progress!
4. anonymous
Computers de-skill children, they don't educate them. People educate people.
Childhood will now be spent sat in front of a PC learning to use Microsoft, what a future.
The greedy technology companies must love it, a compliant UK government happy to hand over more and more cash.
5. anonymous
Allocating more cash to American technology companies and "hard working families". UK Government policy since 1984.