The Teacher Laptop Initiative (TLI) will be officially rolled out on 15 July and teachers will be able to start getting their laptops from 19 July.
However, despite the previous optimism of the TLI managing body, the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC), the deadline for about 400 000 teachers having laptops by 2011 will not be met, according to general secretary Dhaya Govender.
He says teacher development and training will start from 15 July with a mock demo, and national adverts for the rollout will start from next week.
“From 19 July, it will be open to the public. Teachers can go to the distributors for their laptops, but things like insurance must also be sorted out.”
He adds that it is a three-year rollout, but some provinces may want to run it in one year and some over two, depending on their budgets. However, the 2011 deadline for 400 000 teachers having laptops will not be met.
“The Department of Basic Education informed the ELRC that the rollout will be done in cohorts specific to the size and funds available to the individual provincial education departments,” explains chief knowledge officer of the ELRC Heins Worst.
“The aim now is that within the three years every permanent teacher must be given a chance at least once [to get a laptop],” adds Govender.
Exclusive discounts
Govender says there was no public tender for the project, but rather a public engagement process.
He explains that any laptop manufacturer or connectivity supplier who surpasses the minimum requirements and has a total offering that does not exceed R390 per month, which is the maximum allocated amount, can apply to become an accredited supplier.
The process is not closed and interested organisations can still apply, because a review is done every six months, according to Govender. “Laptop prices and connectivity prices will keep dropping, so organisations will meet the required amount at later stages.”
How it works
1. The Provincial Education Department (PED) identifies and informs teachers who qualify for the TLI.
2. A written notification from the PED is issued to the teacher.
3. The teacher approaches any accredited supplier at an authorised outlet as identified by the supplier. This will be indicated and/or the consortium can be contacted in this regard.
4. The teacher has the choice of comparing the different packages offered by different suppliers.
5. The notification letter is presented to the accredited service provider.
6. The legitimacy of the letter and the teacher is validated on the Central Registry.
7. Once the teacher chooses a package that will suit his needs, the teacher and accredited service provider enter into an agreement.
8. The service provider issues the teacher with a certificate of purchase that contains all the information of the package. Everything from serial numbers to connectivity is captured. The certificate is accompanied by a unique number, which will be verified on the Central Registry.
9. The certificate serves as proof of purchase and will be used to activate the teacher's e-mail account. It will further be forwarded to the PED to enable the allowance and the monthly stop order for the repayments to be activated.
He adds that the public tender process was tried, but it was found that the laptops were not going to be affordable for teachers, resellers could not give five-year guarantees, and there was no special discount on software.
“Now laptops are given to teachers at exclusive prices, and we have Intel SA to help test the machines. Also, Microsoft SA has given special software prices. It costs just about R300 to get an ultimate office package,” says Govender.
Supplying ICTs
The 12 accredited suppliers at the moment are Dell/Laptitude, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, MTN, Pinnacle Technologies, Sahara Systems, Telkom, Mustek, Vodacom, LG and Cell C, says the ELRC.
The strategic partners for the initiative are the software suppliers Microsoft, Symantec and Adobe. Cisco Systems and Intel are the strategic partners involved in teacher training, it adds.
“The provisionally accredited service providers have identified outlets or “one-stop shops” where a teacher may purchase the complete package (including the finance agreement).”
The initiative also has a technical partner. “Attempts to ensure no fraud or corruption takes place is managed by taking a centralised approach. This is done through a central registry or the Central Process and Records Database developed and maintained by Dimension Data.
Project challenges
Govender says with this project being one of the first 'technology access' projects rolled out on a macro scale, the ELRC had to constantly think of new ways to drive down costs.
“My biggest challenge was dealing with 12 competing business organisations, but it has been a good learning experience.”
There is also some reluctance on the side of finance houses, according to Govender, and he says the issue needs a lot of work. He explains that in July last year the project was offered a rate of 12%-14%, but now it's around 18%-20%.
He adds that the current challenge is to try and get all possible competitors involved, because with more laptop manufacturers and connectivity suppliers, teachers will have a wider range to choose from.
“The last major challenge is that it's nice giving laptops to teachers, but we have to think about support.” Govender says there have been some reinvestments by partners, Cisco and Intel, for teacher training and computer literacy. There are also ICT courses and other teacher development courses.
Requirements
“The accredited service providers have a 'good, better, best' range of packages where the maximum all-inclusive monthly repayment will not exceed R390. Qualifying teachers will receive a monthly allowance of R130 (taxable) and are required to fund the difference between the allowance (R130) and the monthly repayments of the package,” says the ELRC.
It adds that most of the packages from the provisionally accredited suppliers cost between R250 and R350 per month. The repayments are spread over a period of five years.
Worst explains that laptops will not be handed out to teachers, but it will be up to the teacher to purchase a laptop that meets the requirements of Government Gazette 32207. It is important to meet these requirements, because teachers will only qualify for subsidies if they do so.
The National Professional Teachers Organisation of SA has warned its members not to purchase laptops until they know that they will qualify for subsidies.
The laptops must have a 160GB hard drive, wireless LAN, Ethernet LAN, voice-fax modem Internet connectivity and a Windows XP, or higher, operating system.
The laptop must be loaded with Microsoft Office software. The education department will also provide content, such as a school administration package and national curriculum materials, which will be installed on the laptop.
“ICT integration in the classroom is an extremely positive addition to the learning environment, as it brings rich and diverse resources into the classroom. This in turn leads to the formation of a more dynamic and productive learning environment,” says the ELRC.
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