PM worries cheaper tablets may not be good

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday she was doubtful about the quality of the tablet computers after the per-unit price in the budget plan had dropped from more than Bt3,000 to just Bt2,500.

"The premier has instructed the Education Ministry to review the specifications to ensure that the devices are worth it," PM's deputy secretary-general Thitima Chaisang said in her capacity as acting government spokesperson.

According to her, the Education Ministry was seeking Bt1.79 billion for its plan to hand out 800,000 tablets to Pathom 1 students under the government's One Tablet Per Child Policy. The Budget Bureau was, in fact, prepared to allocate about Bt1.93 billion for the purpose.

Thitima was speaking after she emerged from the Cabinet meeting.

During the meeting, the Cabinet approved in principle the plan to arrange the procurement of tablets from China via a government-to-government contract. The foreign minister has been tasked with appointing representatives to lead negotiations on the procurement with the Chinese government as resolved by the Cabinet.

The resolution has also assigned the Information and Communications Technology Ministry to arrange the procurement, prepare Wi-Fi services and develop systems to facilitate the use of these devices for learning purposes.

The ministry's Office of the Permanent Secretary will be responsible of reimbursing the Budget Bureau, except for the portions Bangkok Metropolitan Administra-tion and Pattaya City will be using to implement the plan.