Andhra Pradesh Mentioned to Drop Laptops for College students, Could Subject Tablets As an alternative

A number of lakh college students of courses 9 to 12 learning in authorities colleges in Andhra Pradesh had been on Monday left upset because the state couldn’t maintain its promise of delivering them laptop computer computer systems.

Authorities sources now say the proposal to distribute laptops has been dropped as “they’re expensive and lots of digital studying apps do not work on them”.

Now, the federal government is considering to distribute solely Tabs (pill computer systems) to college students of sophistication 8.

Every Tab, loaded with digital studying content material, will value the federal government Rs. 12,000. “We’re planning to distribute the Tabs by September this yr,” a senior schooling official stated.

As the category 8 college students must carry the identical Tab to the additional courses, a laptop computer won’t be required, based on the official.

Each scholar moving into class 8 in authorities and aided colleges every year can be given the Tab.

Final yr, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy introduced that college students of courses 9 to 12 may go for laptop computer computer systems in lieu of the Rs. 15,000 dole (now decreased by Rs. 2,000) underneath Ammavodi scheme, which is supposed to encourage moms to ship their kids to colleges.

He stated the laptops can be delivered within the 2022 tutorial yr.

Accordingly, 8,21,655 college students of courses 9 to 12 opted for laptops as an alternative of the money dole. Over 1.10 lakh of those college students had been in any other case lined underneath Vasati Deevena, one other freebie scheme.

However the authorities couldn’t ship the promised laptops, because it didn’t strike a take care of the suppliers over costs.

Final week, Schooling Minister Botsa Satyanarayana stated they had been negotiating the worth with the suppliers and it might be finalised and the laptops delivered to college students together with Ammavodi.

Nevertheless, the CM solely launched the distribution of the money freebie, within the third spherical of Ammavodi, on Monday by an official’s laptop computer.

In his tackle on the Ammavodi occasion, the CM solely spoke about distribution of Tabs to class 8 college students and didn’t point out laptops.

“I’m in school 10 and opted for a laptop computer as an alternative of money. However now we’re advised that there is no such thing as a laptop computer. I could have to attend for an additional yr, if they provide it in junior inter (class 11),” lamented Okay Naga Prabha of Guntur.

Authorities sources stated the duty of procuring laptops was entrusted to the AP Know-how Companies. The APTS sought to buy every laptop computer for Rs 18,000, relying on the configuration.

Nevertheless, the suppliers had been stated to have quoted a value of Rs 26,000 per laptop computer, making it unaffordable for the federal government.

“There was additionally the issue of provide. The required variety of devices weren’t available because of scarce manufacturing, attributable to scarcity of chipsets,” a prime official coping with the difficulty advised PTI.

The additional monetary burden on the state can be Rs 657 crore if laptops had been bought on the price quoted by the suppliers, he identified. 

---