We almost agree on some of it then; I also reckon FG intended this to be a much more expensive programme, but got the figures/language wrong and then tried to cover it with the XO. That certainly wasn’t the right thing to do, and has exposed an underlying absence of awareness of what an XO actually is, and what secondary school-aged kids in Ireland would actually need.

My point in all this is that Fine Gael really need to up their game if the Irish people are to take them seriously as an alternative Government. This issue is really a minor illustration of a much bigger problem.

Fine Gael have issued a policy proposal which is being discussed here.”

Tetchy, aren’t we? Fine Gael issued a policy proposal in 2006, the one discussed here is evidently an iteration of that hence my reference to it. The proposal in 2006 made no reference to €100 laptops, so my contention that the X0 wasn’t meant to be part of these plans.

I’m quite open to the idea that the most recent press release was really referring to the per year cost of ramping up the provision of regular laptops as I outlined above but that somewhere along the line since it was issued someone thought it was a goof and the XO was wheeled out as a cover for that. Of course I could be wrong.

Fine Gael have proposed the provision of a sub-standard piece of technology, at half the price it currently retails for, with no provision for any supporting investment, as a way to help with Math and Science in Secondary schools.

It is Fine Gael who have said that the XO laptop should be used by all secondary school students in Ireland.

I don’t think this is as badly planned as you might like to make out and certainly not enough to stretch to “Looks like the electorate made the right choice”. Granted, the XO isn’t the ideal piece of kit but ensuring that all students have access to a laptop shouldn’t be sneered at. Putting such a device in the hands of all students may go some way to ensuring national computer literacy among students, albeit basic. This would be a major step forward. At least the proposal from FG has a concrete deliverable that people can easily measure. Others have suggested that alternative laptop solutions could be delivered in and around the price point so I don’t think that part of the proposal is out of the question. Regarding the point on support, I’d agree that it’s a major omission from this document but I think they are close with the knowledge clusters and shared resources. However, I would think that they see the support coming from part of the reamaining ~€250million and this part of the document is a hardware proposal solely.Looking at the phrasing of the document I don’t believe the laptops would the sole computing resources but would be part of a set of tools equipping students for the fabled “knowledge economy”.

We can argue those figures up and down but I don’t think the original intention was for the €69 laptops to be the solution here.

Dan,

Fine Gael have issued a policy proposal which is being discussed here.

Fine Gael have proposed the provision of a sub-standard piece of technology, at half the price it currently retails for, with no provision for any supporting investment, as a way to help with Math and Science in Secondary schools.

It is Fine Gael who have said that the XO laptop should be used by all secondary school students in Ireland.

Science education is certainly not where it should be in Ireland; I’ve criticised government policy on this both in public and in private in the recent past.

But Fine Gael have here shown themselves unable to even prepare Press Releases about Technology in Education, let alone to actually deliver any improvements in the system. How are we to believe that Fine Gael would improve the education system? That would involve competently implementing their policies. If they can’t get the policy right, while in opposition, how are we to believe that they could implement reasonable policies when in government?

Looks like the electorate made the right choice.

Of course I recognise that any such idea sounds a stretch for a government that can’t even ensure that all second level schools can offer the science facilities for chemistry experiments that students are required to do for the leaving cert.

The FG press release says:

“It is estimated that the cost of providing each of our 334,000 second level students with a laptop would cost approximately €23m – a small proportion of the €252m which has been set aside for ICT education at primary and secondary level under the National Development Plan”.

You can’t get clearer than that on their intention, and how they have done their calculation. the NDP runs until 2013, so it’s got five years left to run. They have since gone on to say that yes, it is the XO laptop they intend to use.

FG have stuffed this one up, big time.

http://www.irishelection.com/11/theres-no-logic-in-laptops/

One point that I would highlight was the prolonged cost discussion. My (not that I’ve been involved in anyway shape or form on this idea, can’t have engineers who have worked in technology areas of industry since the early 90s pitching in on this sort of thing now can we) reckoning is that FG’s policy is not to go out on the morning and buy everyone 2nd level school child a laptop (naturally the Department of Education thinking probably does think like this and would rollout the program at the end of the school year and give new laptops for pupils who were off to college) but to start with a set of first years and then through spending the money each year build up so that all children have access to them.

My estimate was for say €300 or perhaps €250 per machine which would be €15million for 60,000 machines. Other estimates were €500, or even a 1,000. Fact is if Lenovo or Dell are quoting 600 for 1 laptop, you’d get that down significantly ordering 50,000 especially if you’re going to repeat business. We can argue those figures up and down but I don’t think the original intention was for the €69 laptops to be the solution here.