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Computer Commitment Costs Wednesday 9th April 2008 The Rev Fred Nile, Leader of the Christian Democratic Party, has raised concern that the Federal Government’s commitment to provide computer access for every senior student will be thwarted by setup and installation costs to State Government. The issue was raised during question time in the NSW Upper House. Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Education and Training. Did the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, promise to deliver a computer to every Australian schoolchild? Is the cost of the software cabling, rewiring, security, maintenance, et cetera, hundreds of millions of dollars, possibly $100,000 per average school? What is the Government's timetable for the installation of those computers for every New South Wales schoolchild? When will the computers be functioning in New South Wales classrooms? The Hon. John Della Bosca: Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile has vastly oversimplified the question of policy— The Hon. Melinda Pavey: So did Kevin Rudd. The Hon. John Della Bosca: Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile has not got it right; Kevin Rudd never made that promise. But that is beside the point, because Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile asked about the response of the New South Wales Government to Commonwealth arrangements for providing additional information technologies in schools. The Commonwealth Government's arrangement is to have eligible schools apply directly to the Commonwealth. The New South Wales Government is encouraging schools to apply for laptop computers, because that is the model that we believe will give the best educational outcomes for students in our schools and can be delivered most efficiently, particularly in our secondary schools. At this stage we do not know how many computers schools have applied for. The New South Wales
Government is in discussion with the Commonwealth Government
about funding and the rollout of additional computers. I look
forward to continued cooperation, which is in stark contrast
between the now gone and not-at-all-missed Howard Government and
the Rudd Government, which is taking a positive attitude to
public education and education at large. Of course, as we know,
the great revolution in education started a long time ago in New
South Wales and it is pleasing that the remainder of the country
is catching up with us. I look forward to continued cooperation
with the Rudd Government to make sure that we sort out all the
issues in regard to education. It is important to understand
that any additional computers in schools would supplement a
framework that has been put in place over a long time, and which
builds on the record of this Government as among the first in
the world, if not the first, to connect all of its schools to
the internet in keeping with a range of initiatives that Premier
Iemma championed at the last election and which we are now
implementing. We are putting in place the Connected Classrooms
initiative, which is critical. All these things need to be
considered along with, as the member's question alluded to, the
very important issue of professional development. We need to
support our teachers and make sure that they are given training
in order to develop their skills at using computer technology to
further teaching and learning in our schools. I am very
confident of getting support for that as well from the Rudd
Government. |