topic Re: Another broken promise??? in Community Spirit

Another broken promise???

catsnknots — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:23:30 GMT

Students lose right to free laptop as Federal Government scraps Digital Education Revolution

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/students-lose-right-to-free-laptop-as-federal-government-scraps-digital-education-revolution/story-e6freoof-1226645686232

In the 2007 election Howard offered a tax refund when you bought your child a new laptop for school... Rudd countered that offer and said he would give each child a free laptop....

Rudd also said he will give you a supplement to help you pay for school costs instead of the tax refund that Howard was giving when you spent money upfront on your own child.

Now we will lose both of those policies...

I hope they do go back to the education tax refund when you spend your own money but I doubt that will happen...

Re: Another broken promise???

lakeland27 — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:30:58 GMT

The Federal Government has indicated it will not continue funding the high school laptop program for years 9 to 12 students.

Almost 1 million computers have been issued since 2008 as part of Labor's Digital Education Revolution, but funding for the scheme is set to run out in June 2013.

Year 9 students will still receive their laptops at the start of the school year.

Federal School Education Minister Peter Garrett says the Government provided the upfront investment and the states must now pay their fair share.

"The Commonwealth always said we would get this going by providing the opportunity for high school students to have access to a laptop. We've delivered on that commitment," he said.

"We'll negotiate with the states on where that can be taken, but certainly there's an expectation we'll need to work that through with the states."

"We've discharged our commitment and we've done it successfully."

Some high school principals say it is disappointing.

NSW Secondary Principals Council president Lila Mularczyk says allowing students to bring their own devices is part of the answer, but it needs financial support.

"Technology can never be a one-off investment and you have to sustain it with particular infrastructure, with professional learning, with curriculum development and with learning devices and they will differ as time changes and that is moving far more readily than we can predict," she said.

But the head of Catholic Schools in Sydney's west agrees the program should not be renewed.

Greg Whitby says schools should not be relying on governments for the funding.

"More money, more devices doesn't equal better education, better schooling per se," he said.

Mr Whitby says schools should allow students to bring their own technology and ensure no-one misses out.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-02/federal-government-set-to-end-school-laptops-scheme/4497572

Re: Another broken promise???

cherry*135 — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:40:30 GMT

What do you mean we will lose BOTH these policies? School kids bonus is enough per child to buy them a basic laptop.

The Education Tax Refund was replaced by:

School Kids Bonus:

It is simple: there’s no need to collect receipts or claim it through your tax.

Each year, eligible families and students will receive:

$410 a year for each primary student ($205 paid in January and $205 paid in July)

$820 a year for each secondary student ($410 paid in January and $410 paid in July).

Re: Another broken promise???

cherry*135 — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:45:34 GMT

From the link in the OP

Federal School Education Minister Peter Garrett said money provided under the National Plan for School Improvement would help fund new technology equipment, and called on Queensland to sign up to the Gonski model.

"The extra funding . . . will be a permanent feature of the new funding system so schools would no longer need to rely on grants or short-term programs," he said.

Re: Another broken promise???

catsnknots — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:01:25 GMT

Both Policies I mean the new computers and the schoolkids bonus... both will be gone and there will be no help.

I was not for the giving every kid a laptop policy... I saved and bought my kids their pc's and laptops... so should other parents.. and I did that on a single parents income so if I could do it so can others. I did however appreciate the education tax refund. I thought that was the appropriate way to go.

If you think that Gonski will pay for everything then you are dreaming... parents will still need to buy items for their kids and many parents would still appreciate a little bit of help.

Re: Another broken promise???

newstart2380 — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:17:07 GMT

I have a friend who works at a high school as a cleaner, she sees first hand the way some high school "ferels" treat these free laptops.

She has seen them used as missiles and thrown, drinks spilled on the keyboards making them useless and even sold to people outside the schools by the kids. They are just replaced no questions asked and it keeps going on.

Peter Garrett made a mess of the batts installation scheme and he (as the responsible minister) has fallen down on his responsibility for this scheme as well.

He should go back to gyrating and screaming on stage and leave politics alone.

So I think stop giving out these free PC's and stop building these unnecessary school halls (build classrooms instead to replace the demountables).

Re: Another broken promise???

cherry*135 — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:23:38 GMT

Why are school halls unecessary?

Our local high school has had $m's spent on it in recent years, all the demountables have been replaced.

Re: Another broken promise???

*crikey*mate* — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:26:35 GMT

parents will still need to buy items for their kids and many parents would still appreciate a little bit of help.

isn't that what parents are supposed to do?

Sure, of course the majority of parents would appreciate "a bit of help", but should it really be an expectation of the Gov to do a parent's job?

....................................

Question about the lapTop program - (I know hardly anything about it) but from reading LL's post up there, it reads to me that it is only being scrapped for years 10 - 12, but year 9 kids will still get their lap tops?

Is that right?

If that's the case, I agree with the new "system". The kids currently in grades 10 to 12 would have already benefited from the roll out (either directly or indirectly ie the school using the funds to upgrade the infrastructure of their current IT systems, educate staff in the use of new technologies, etc etc etc etc)

So now, it's the kids coming through and entering high school that will benefit and carry their lap tops through until grade 12.

I think that's fair enough, and surely a lap top can last a school kid for 4 years of high school, it's not like they have to launch rocket ships with them etc....

Do I understand the updated policy correctly?

Re: Another broken promise???

lakeland27 — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:34:09 GMT

a lot of victoria's schools look great now, unlike the dickensian workhouse atmosphere of the Howard era. there's no comparison. without those computers Rudd/Gillard rolled out hundreds of thousands of Australian schoolchildren would have missed out completely on essential skills.

another lost generation is not what this country needs. Politicians of the right lack any real vision (apart from the usual elitist self-interest) they wont last long, Australians will find them out. even the most challenged folks catch on eventually.

Re: Another broken promise???

*crikey*mate* — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:39:03 GMT

Why are school halls unecessary?

Our local high school has had $m's spent on it in recent years, all the demountables have been replaced.

Some of them were, and whilst I think the program was good in theory, I really don't think that its application was managed very well.

Our school already had a perfectly fine MPH and a Library (what the grants were for). Our Business manager filled in the paper work to the required standards, applied and we received another $3 million to build a 2nd MPH.

I'm not complaining at all - for us it is totally awesome (we actually added more of our own funds to it and added significantly)

I know of several school's whose principals/business managers etc either didn't bother to apply or didn't/couldn't fill out the reqwuired paper work, so even though they would have benefioted greatly from either building, they never got one.

I also know of two structures which are completely useless. One, because of the limited funds could not be altered from the cookie cutter plans the public schools were forced to use, so instead of having a blank wall on the side of the building that gets direct sun and heat, they have big windows, making the hall a sweat shop for the kids in summer after about 9am... Needless to say, it doesn't get used very much.

Another school, because of its remote location, costs were a little higher, so whilst they have this fabulous new $3 million dollar hall (for a school with about 40 kids grades prep to 7), it has no electricity connected to it, or running water, no pathways etc. The school didn't have the funds to upgrade their current infrastructure, and despite intense petitioning from the school principal, they were not allowed to change from the cookie cutter version in order to make it smaller, to divert some funds towards the infrastructure to make it useable.

So it too sits there, unused.

Re: Another broken promise???

cherry*135 — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:40:23 GMT

Parents have always had to buy school shoes, stationery etc for their kids. These education refund/allowances have only been in place for a few years, they managed for a long time without them.

$820 is a lot of money for school expenses for 1 secondary school student.

NSW had a $50 a year allce prior to the introduction of ETR.

Jan 31, 2013

Labor's school kids bonus will be axed by a coalition government, with Tony Abbott branding the scheme a "cash splash" totally unrelated to education.

The opposition leader confirmed he'd scrap the cash payments to families if elected prime minister, even though the move is likely to be unpopular with voters.

Mr Abbott has been under pressure from the federal government to come clean about the opposition's plans to scrap the scheme, introduced by Labor in the May budget.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/coalition-will-axe-school-kids-bonus-20130131-2dlzd.html

No plans to reinstate the ETR either.

Re: Another broken promise???

lakeland27 — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:53:52 GMT

'we expect that a government cant be like santa claus' what an inspired thing to say.. he's electric that guy.

Re: Another broken promise???

cherry*135 — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:56:36 GMT

it reads to me that it is only being scrapped for years 10 - 12, but year 9 kids will still get their lap tops?

I am not sure about that. The funding runs out this June. Perhaps it just meant students at the beginning of 2013 will still get their school laptops.

Re: Another broken promise???

cherry*135 — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:00:17 GMT

The last of these funded laptops will be delivered to next years year 9 students early 2013 After that time new students entering year 9 will not receive them.

The Australian Government allocated between $1,000 and $1.500 dollars per laptop, which included the software, which apparently they bought from Microsoft for a special edu price.

This “Education Revolution” initiative was never intended to go beyond 4 years.

From some cyber safety website

Re: Another broken promise???

*crikey*mate* — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:17:44 GMT

Thanks AM.

But realistically, do the kids really need $1,000 to $1,500 lap tops for the purposes of education?

I don't know too much about computers and all that techy stuff, but I managed 3 years of uni on an $800 lap top (now replaced with "The Mighty Viper" LOL after the hard drive died on the lappy) and that lap top was also our main home computer apart from an ex government computer we bought for $250 8 or 9 years ago.

My kid in uni is doing advanced electrical engineering in mechatronics and nano technology. He won a $6,000 bursary to buy himself whatever IT equipment he needed for his course, but so far has not used it.

he says the reconditioned $300 laptop that we got him for Christmas was working just fine and did everything he needed it to do.

Re: Another broken promise???

cherry*135 — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:39:19 GMT

No, I wouldn't buy myself a laptop worth $1000-$1500 let alone a school student.

Re: Another broken promise???

poddster — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:08:21 GMT

I feel sure that the sitting government will do what ever they choose and can get away with, They dont have anything to lose with broken promises do they?

Gird yourselves between now and election day for a whole heap of spin, misinformatiom, blame laying and booby traps.

It is a normal happening only this time it will be longer and more shrill.

Re: Another broken promise???

sniper_patrol — Sat, 18 May 2013 23:32:25 GMT

So this thread isn't another broken promise then? Figures

Why do kids need a new laptop every year. Won't the one they are given in year 7 or 8 do them until school finishes.?

Re: Another broken promise???

cueperkins — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:02:37 GMT

I'll have any of the laptops they don't want...someone five fingered mine B-)

Re: Another broken promise???

azureline** — Mon, 20 May 2013 01:46:36 GMT

If you look for it, I am sure you will find that the students were never promised a free laptop of their own.... as I recall (and I don't care enough to find proof) he said every student would have access to a computer at school, didn't he?