Pupils pay N1,000 to use school laptops

Ekiti State Government and the state chapter of the Parent Teacher Association have agreed that parents should pay N1,000 per child as premium on each laptop computer given to their children.

 The resolution is contained in a communique made available to our correspondent on Thursday after a stakeholders’ workshop on Ekiti State e-schools project, in partnership with Purples Consult, Samsung and Microsoft, PTA, Nigerian Union of Teachers and Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools.

 Governor Kayode Fayemi last year started the distribution of solar-powered laptops to pupils in all government-owned secondary schools in the state. Thirty-thousand units of the laptops had already been given out.

 The state government however observed that there was an increase in cases of laptops with broken screens due to mishandling by the pupils.

 The Chief Executive Officer of Purrples Consult, Ms. Sola Salako, whose firm is coordinating the Ekiti State e-school project, said that to replace each broken screen cost about N29,000 which many parents could not afford.

 Salako explained that the warranty given by the manufacturer of the computers did not cover mishandling hence the need to pay for repairs.

 According to her, an insurance company approached the government to insure the laptops, saying the workshop was organised for all stakeholders to enable them to accept or reject the proposal and to find solutions to other challenges confronting the project.

 She said that other challenges discovered include the use of the computers by some of the pupils to view pornographic materials, outright sale of the laptops by some pupils and low memory of some units in the first batch.

 The communiqué read in part, “Parent Teacher Association agreed to pay N1,000 insurance premium per pupil per year with social security support for those who still cannot afford to.

 “Samsung is urged to improve the ruggedness of the laptop package and in a case where pornography is found on any pupil’s system, the affected school principal should invite the parents and send the child for counselling.

 The pupil should be attached to a mentor for weekly monitoring. “Principals should retrieve laptops from the outgoing SS3 pupils and should also appoint coordinators for laptop projects in their schools.

 Purples Consult to meet with coordinators in Ado Ekiti LGA on May 30, 2013 at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Education and general laptop audit for all pupils in the state should hold on June 27, 2013.

 “Hardware upgrade for the first 3,000 batch delivered with 1gb RAM Solution. Samsung to supply additional 1gb memory to be installed in all affected laptops by MSV Limited by June 30th 2013.” 

 The forum also agreed that teachers should obtain photocopy of their agreement form from the Ministry of Education as temporary proof of ownership to prevent embarrassment from law enforcement agents.