Laptop plan to be revived

TEACHERS are so much in debt they have not been able to qualify for the Teacher Laptop Initiative.

The project was launched in May 2010, but since then only a few teachers have the laptops. Now the department is working on a plan to revive the scheme managed by the Education Labour Relations Council.

Teachers qualifying for the laptop were to receive a taxable monthly allowance of R130 and then pay between R250 and R390 a month over five years.

Basic Education Department spokesman Panyaza Lesufi said: "Due to challenges around affordability, reluctance of suppliers to advance credit to educators and the fact that a significant number of educators is not creditworthy, the uptake of the initiative has been slow and negligible.

"As a result of these challenges the department is currently reviewing the current delivery approach."

A principal in Seshego, Limpopo, said: "We are still waiting for the laptops.

"No one has communicated with the schools. We do not know what is happening."

The initiative gained prominence after the Department of Education snubbed a mobile computer contract, which Sadtu nearly signed for R330-million with Rectron to provide its 240000 members with ultra-mobile low-cost notebooks. It was supposed to have been launched in July 2009 but was delayed until December.

The R500-million that was budgeted for the project by the department for the 2009/2010 financial year was spent on teachers' salaries.

Now the department is working on a plan to save the scheme.