“"Calculaters where good when they came out. But we did not buy every child one then .Why buy every child a PC now.
john, Leicester "

Nobody is talking about buying every child a PC though are they? Try and keep up. ;)”

“Tory Cllr Michael Johnson is being utterly hypocritical. He is currently at a Children's Conference in Manchester staying a the Midland Hotel. The Total Cost to Leicester Citizens of this is £1000. So it's Jollies for Tory Councillors but no internet access for some of the most deprived children in Leicester? "All in it together" not for Cllr Johnson in his cushy hotel.”

“Tory Cllr Michael Johnson is being utterly hypocritical as he is currently attending a children's conference in Manchester staying at the Midland Hotel . His attendance at this conference has cost the citizens of Leicester around £1000. So it's jollies for the Tories but lack of access for some of the most deprived children in Leicester. "All in it together?" well obviously not for Cllr Johnson in his cushy hotel.”

“Calculaters where good when they came out. But we did not buy every child one then .Why buy every child a PC now.”

“There are some reactionary views here about computers and I can assure you Nick Di Perna, today's software would not run on your £30, aging computer.

Like it or not, computers are here to stay and are going to continue to develop and become more sophisticated. My two granddaughters (8 and 9) are able to use my desktop PC with easy. They can type and they can do a Google search without any problems. They are also lucky because their parents can afford a decent computer and also have laptops as they are teachers. And before anyone says anything, yes they do need them !

Having said all this though I am not in favour of the laptops for pupils scheme because it is discriminatory. I agree with Jane in that allocating per school is a blunt instrument for targetting needy pupils.

I firmly believe that children should be taught ICT skills in school because, as I said earlier, ICT has become a basic skill. However, I also believe there are better, fairer and more cost effective ways of providing computer access to children whose families cannot afford it.

Schools, Local Authorities and Government need to be more creative about this. For instance, providing local points/hubs where children AND their parents can go would be beneficial to communities. This could encompass ICT training for parents/families.

Leicester City Council (and I'm afraid most other large councils) are far too reductionist in their approach and tend to see *only* the technology as the solution. I agree that this scheme should be scrapped but I also think something more creative and strategic should take its place.”

“"Laptops don¿t make brainy children. Besides, even a ¿poor¿ family can afford a good home PC at just £30 from a second hand dealer. That¿s how I got mine and I've had it for years with no problems."

Nicholas, unfortunately the 'poor' homes are often the homes without books also. For a child to get the affordable PC, the parents have to realize its value as an educational tool. Like it or not the kids around the world English children will compete with do have individual access. My three sons here in the US did 15-20 years ago. Like it or not,computers are as essential as desk and pencils in the classroom. Unfortunately the cuts proposed by the wealthy and their representatives in government will of course impact the poorer population most-- hopefully keeping them poor and ideally a little scared. The extreme term for this is I believe 'economic terrorism'.”

“I never thought I'd ever agree with Michael Johnson but I totally agree. It is for teachers to decide what children need. I'm also concerned that the decision was made per school. This is totally unfair to children who go to schools in more affluent areas but not come from affluent families.

I know people say this was political but I also know how it really works. Some IT geek working at the council decided it would be a good idea to provide laptops to pupils. This is because they probably heard there was some grant funding available. Putting in bids for grant funding and managing such a project to roll out IT equipment is quite a task. Certainly carries some kudos with it and certainly makes one or more members of staff at the council indispensable for a while.

Politicians are then sold the idea and realise it's a possible vote winner.

And so it goes............

In the mean time, there are children who can't read and write and schools struggle to manage finite resources.

So here's an idea. As well as getting rid of the laptops for pupils scheme, have a look at the council IT staff who look after these IT whiz schemes. I wonder how much money could be save then....... and given to schools !”

“What about the "one laptop" project designed for developing countries, the aim was to make a simple no frills and cheap laptop (£100) that could be used in schools in developing countries - they could have been bought for our children to learn on before they progress to more expensive laptops with more features.
In fact the more laptops manufactured under the scheme the cheaper the price.”

“"BUT I think that the money spent on PC, software, maintenance, repairs, upgrades etc. etc. could be better spent for pupils of ths age." - Maybe so, but a 11 year old who had very poor or technophobe parents, would be at a real disadvantage on starting secondary school if they had never used a PC before. I think IT is an integral part of education, computers are a fact and they arent going away - in no way should it displace the three r's, but it shouldnt be ignored either.
They dont need laptops or fast PCs - 5 or 10 year old PCs would be more than adequate, and I bet many local business would be prepared to donate old ones for free.”

“Yes martin - you are correct. "reading, writing, numeracy" and computer use are NOT exclusive' BUT I think that the money spent on PC, software, maintenance, repairs, upgrades etc. etc. could be better spent for pupils of ths age.”