TABLETS WORTH RS 20 CR FOR BMC SCHOOLS, BUT WITH NO WIFI OR 3G
The civic body says computers will have preloaded syllabus, maps; opposition says project is primitive.
The BMC has called for bids from hardware suppliers to equip students in its schools with tablet computers worth nearly Rs 20 crore. Unlike commercially available tablets, these portable devices, to be made available to those enrolled in class 8, will have neither WiFi nor 3G capabilities. Instead, they will come preloaded with 8th and 9th grade study material, an e-book reader, Google maps and a few Android apps.
The BMC has estimated in its bid documents that each of these devices will cost Rs 10,000. The cheapest tablets on the market, all of which are WiFi- and 3G-enabled, cost in the vicinity of Rs 3,000 - the 7 inch, Vox V93 retails for Rs 2,989.
Opposition corporators have termed the venture retrograde and counterintuitive. "A tablet without internet connectivity is a farce. The ruling Shiv Sena is fooling schoolkids. We are in the age of connectivity. The Sena wants to make the whole city WiFi-enabled but why are they not giving WiFi to kids who attend their own schools?" Sandeep Deshpande, MNS Group Leader in the BMC, demanded to know.
The BMC has countered such charges with the contention that the tablets have been taken offline to protect students from harm. "We haven't made a provision for WiFi and internet connectivity for safety reasons," said Pallavi Darade, Additional Municipal Commissioner in-charge of education. "The tablets will come fully-preloaded with the syllabus and other features like e-book reader and applications. This is the first time we are giving tablets so we will see how kids use it and then take a call."
BMC officials said they would gauge the response this project evokes and then determine if the scheme should extend to other grades.
Putting a tablet in each school kid's hand - of classes VIII, IX and X - was a prominent electoral promise of the Shiv Sena during last year's assembly poll campaign. The party had also promised free tablet computers to every household in Maharashtra, and the creation of a data transfer network.
"Students in high schools will have their complete curriculum loaded on the tabs. If the student is in 7th grade, the software will include curriculum for that grade. If the student is in 10th, then the tablet will have the curriculum suited to that grade," Sena party president Uddhav Thackeray had said.
The conditions laid down in the bid document, however, don't compute. "The estimate price is around Rs 10,000 for a tablet with no internet connectivity. This is bizarre. All tablets in the market are WiFi- and internet-enabled. What's the point of buying a tablet with no connectivity for Rs 10,000 a piece?" a hardware manufacturer demanded to know (he asked that his name be withheld as he intends to bid for the contract.) "Also, they don't want any education companies to bid. They only want tablet manufacturers to get the contract."
Education department officials said the BMC was giving out the tablets to arrest the dropout rates in city municipal schools in higher classes. The move, civic officials hope, will motivate students to pursue studies in BMC schools beyond class seven.
According to the bid conditions, the tablets will feature a 10-inch touchscreen, USB port and be supplied along with headphones. The supplier will provide a two-year extended warranty for each device.
"It is a great initiative and since this is the first time we are doing it, we will see how students respond," said Darade.
Opposition leaders remain unconvinced. Congress leader Devendra Amberkar urged that the tenders be recalled and reissued. "These tenders are flawed. The BMC must refloat the tenders. Tablets without WiFi or internet are pointless. It is a waste of money. They talk about connectivity and digitisation but look at what they do," he said.
The BMC has called for bids from hardware suppliers to equip students in its schools with tablet computers worth nearly Rs 20 crore. Unlike commercially available tablets, these portable devices, to be made available to those enrolled in class 8, will have neither WiFi nor 3G capabilities. Instead, they will come preloaded with 8th and 9th grade study material, an e-book reader, Google maps and a few Android apps.
The BMC has estimated in its bid documents that each of these devices will cost Rs 10,000. The cheapest tablets on the market, all of which are WiFi- and 3G-enabled, cost in the vicinity of Rs 3,000 - the 7 inch, Vox V93 retails for Rs 2,989.
Opposition corporators have termed the venture retrograde and counterintuitive. "A tablet without internet connectivity is a farce. The ruling Shiv Sena is fooling schoolkids. We are in the age of connectivity. The Sena wants to make the whole city WiFi-enabled but why are they not giving WiFi to kids who attend their own schools?" Sandeep Deshpande, MNS Group Leader in the BMC, demanded to know.
The BMC has countered such charges with the contention that the tablets have been taken offline to protect students from harm. "We haven't made a provision for WiFi and internet connectivity for safety reasons," said Pallavi Darade, Additional Municipal Commissioner in-charge of education. "The tablets will come fully-preloaded with the syllabus and other features like e-book reader and applications. This is the first time we are giving tablets so we will see how kids use it and then take a call."
BMC officials said they would gauge the response this project evokes and then determine if the scheme should extend to other grades.
Putting a tablet in each school kid's hand - of classes VIII, IX and X - was a prominent electoral promise of the Shiv Sena during last year's assembly poll campaign. The party had also promised free tablet computers to every household in Maharashtra, and the creation of a data transfer network.
"Students in high schools will have their complete curriculum loaded on the tabs. If the student is in 7th grade, the software will include curriculum for that grade. If the student is in 10th, then the tablet will have the curriculum suited to that grade," Sena party president Uddhav Thackeray had said.
The conditions laid down in the bid document, however, don't compute. "The estimate price is around Rs 10,000 for a tablet with no internet connectivity. This is bizarre. All tablets in the market are WiFi- and internet-enabled. What's the point of buying a tablet with no connectivity for Rs 10,000 a piece?" a hardware manufacturer demanded to know (he asked that his name be withheld as he intends to bid for the contract.) "Also, they don't want any education companies to bid. They only want tablet manufacturers to get the contract."
Education department officials said the BMC was giving out the tablets to arrest the dropout rates in city municipal schools in higher classes. The move, civic officials hope, will motivate students to pursue studies in BMC schools beyond class seven.
According to the bid conditions, the tablets will feature a 10-inch touchscreen, USB port and be supplied along with headphones. The supplier will provide a two-year extended warranty for each device.
"It is a great initiative and since this is the first time we are doing it, we will see how students respond," said Darade.
Opposition leaders remain unconvinced. Congress leader Devendra Amberkar urged that the tenders be recalled and reissued. "These tenders are flawed. The BMC must refloat the tenders. Tablets without WiFi or internet are pointless. It is a waste of money. They talk about connectivity and digitisation but look at what they do," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment