SCHOOLS SHUN LABOR’S DIGITAL REVOLUTION
The Member for Berowra, Philip Ruddock MP said today that schools around Australia have rejected Kevin Rudd’s $1.2 billion promise to put a computer on the desk of every upper secondary school student because they cannot afford to pay all the additional costs.
Mr Ruddock said secondary schools in South Australia and New South Wales had already stated they would not make an application for round two of the National Secondary School Computer Fund, which opens today.
“How will Kevin Rudd fulfil his election promise to put a computer on the desk of every upper secondary school student if the schools themselves are rejecting the computers?” Mr Ruddock said.
“Schools are blatantly rejecting having to pick up the costs for Kevin Rudd’s costly election campaign promise.
“This just shows Kevin Rudd’s ‘digital education revolution’ was designed as an election campaign slogan only with no thought as to how it would work in real life.”
Around 20-40 schools in South Australia were planning to reject Kevin Rudd’s computers, with the principal of Bossley Park High in New South Wales rejecting the offer because the principal believed it was a ‘waste of public funds’.
“Schools know it will be them and parents left paying the enormous costs to actually make the computers work including extra electricity costs, security, teacher training, software, installation and maintenance,” Philip Ruddock said.