A government panel supervising the one tablet per child project has agreed to divide the country into five zones for the purchase and distribution of 1.6 million more tablets for students in the next academic year.
Phongthep Thepkanchana
The panel met yesterday to discuss the purchase of the tablets for Prathom 1 (Grade 1) and Mathayom 1 (Grade 7) students, a source said.
The source said the panel decided there would be 10 procurement contracts in five zones, covering the North, the Central Plains, the upper Northeast, the lower Northeast and the South. Bidders could win no more than two contracts.
Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanchana said an e-auction would be used to purchase tablets for distribution to students in the 2013 academic year.
An e-auction procurement committee will set requirements for the bidding.
Winning bidders must preload digital curriculum content and learning applications on the tablets before the devices are distributed to schools.
All 1.6 million tablets are expected to be distributed to students in May, the minister said. The Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) secretary-general Chinapat Phumrat said the procurement of tablets last year was made under a memorandum of understanding with China.
Obec has decided to hold an e-auction this time to ensure transparency.
In the 2013 academic year, a total of 1,659,416 tablets will be purchased, with 844,554 tablets for Prathom 1 students and 814,862 to go to Mathayom 1 students, Mr Chinapat said.