The first batch of tablets for the second phase of the government's One Tablet per Child scheme will start being delivered to Mathayom 1 students today after a 10-month delay, says a high-ranking source.
A Prathom 1 student in Nakhon Ratchasima uses her free tablet obtained under the first phase of the scheme. The Education Ministry will hand out 13,814 more this year as a first batch under the second phase. PRASIT TANGPRASERT
Computer maker Supreme Distribution (Thailand) is the first company to deliver the first batch of 78,714 out of 426,683 tablets after it won a bid to supply tablets in Zone 3 ocovering the central and southern provinces.
The Education Ministry will distribute 13,814 tablets to Mathayom students in 10 provinces including Bangkok, said the source in the Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec).
He attributed the delivery delay to the extended probe into the tablet procurement process.
The source also said the Obec expects to hold an e-auction for the third phase to purchase 1.6 million tablets worth 4.8 billion baht.
The government will use money from the fiscal 2014 budget to support the third phase.
The median price for Prathom 1 tablets under the third phase is set at 2,700 baht each and 2,900 baht for Mathayom 4 tablets.
The final terms of reference and technical specifications are expected to be settled this month. The sale of bidding documents for the third phase tablet project is scheduled for May.
The source said the Obec will set general specifications for tablets and allow schools to handle purchases of tablets together with the Obec in order to avoid repeating delays.
The source also said the service guarantee for the 900,000 tablets under the first phase, supplied by China's Shenzhen Scope Scientific Development, is set to expire in August.
Schools have to accept responsibility for the general care and maintenance of the tablets after the two-year warranty expires.
Supreme Distribution managing director Panuwat Khantamoleekul said the company provides nine service centres plus 42 drop points in compliance with the one-year after-sale service warranty.
The company will spend 5 million baht building its own assembly and testing facility for manufacturing tablets if it wins a bid for the government's third phase tablet project, he said.