Despite a shaky start with repeated delays in deliveries, the Pheu Thai government has started fulfilling its policy promise to distribute free tablet computers to first graders around the country.
However, experts said it is too soon to assess whether the scheme will have any impact on the children's education.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra announced on Aug 23, 2011, that the one-tablet-per-child programme was among her priorities for her first year in office.
Her policy paper said the government would also develop appropriate curriculums for the tablets and provide standard WiFi to educational institutions free of charge.
At first, the scheme was intended to cover only pilot schools, but was later changed to include about 800,000 first-graders around the country for a budget of 1.9 billion baht.
As of Aug 15, the tablets, made by China's Shenzhen Scope Scientific Development Co, had been sent to 179,984 students. The tablets cost US$81_ or around 2,482 baht _ apiece, plus another $1 each for the transportation costs.
Under the scheme, the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Ministry is responsible for table procurement and random inspections, and the Education Ministry is responsible for digital content development and distribution to schools.
Criticism has focused on whether first-graders are too young to benefit from the tablets.
Also, many schools in suburban or rural areas lack the internet infrastructure needed to make full use of the devices.
A study on the impact of tablet use, conducted by Srinakharinwirot University, concluded that students in Prathom 4 (Grade 4) would benefit from the scheme more than the first-graders.
Education Minister Suchart Thada-thamrongvej said that would happen later. "The tablets will be handed out to Mathayom 1 [Grade 7] pupils in pilot schools in the second term of this 2012 academic year," Mr Suchart said.
The students can take the tablets home, and they get to keep them after three years.
Under the contract, the first lot of 400,000 tablets had to reach Thailand this month.
The procurement contract for another 400,000 tablets was signed early this month by the ICT Ministry.
Chinnapat Bhumirat, secretary-general to the Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec), said the number of defects so far has been small.
"The scheme has gradually made progress, and until now there have been only seven cases of problems with the tablet's battery charger in Chiang Rai province," he said.
The tablet content covers five core subjects. Obec developed the content in the form of e-books, e-learning and multi-media applications.
Mr Chinnapat said WiFi will be available in 10,000 schools by the end of this year, while existing services in 20,000 other schools will be upgraded. Nine main service and maintenance centres and 30 sub-centres have been established nationwide for those encountering problems with the tablets.
Pawit Thongroj, Pheu Thai's adviser on education, said the tablet computers will reduce the education gap between students in urban and rural areas.
"They will receive tablet computers wherever they live. It is a progressive policy," he said.
Sompong Jitradub, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University's faculty of education, argued that the high-tech tools can be a double-edged sword. He said a study must be conducted first on whether the tablets actually benefit students. Then, students must be trained in how to use the internet appropriately, to avoid addiction to games.
"At present, the main message about the scheme is just free tablets. There is no clear concept about what they will be used to achieve," he said.