About a year later than planned, thousands of local students will receive their missing cheap Windows tablets in September as part of the government’s digitization offensive. Last year students in the fifth and sixth grade were given notebooks and tablets, but about a quarter of the children are still waiting for their device. In a letter to the schools, Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) has now announced a solution.
About 1,500 schools participated in the initiative, which started in the fall of 2021. The parents pay a deductible of 25 percent, so the devices belong to the children. Low-income families can also be exempt from the deductible. The schools could choose between Windows notebooks, Windows tablets, iPads, Android tablets and refurbished used goods.
Devices complained of have not been delivered
However, last summer it was already clear that there would be a delay in the delivery of Windows tablets with pen input in the 2021/22 school year. After a European tender failed to produce an offer with an adequate price, a new tender had to be launched.
There were also problems afterwards: in two expert opinions commissioned by the ministry, functional defects were found in the devices that were eventually delivered (“Oliver Books”). The ministry then gave its contract partner A1 a grace period, and the devices were not delivered.
Instead of “Oliver Book” there is now Microsoft Surface Go
A solution has now been found: in September the students will receive a different, more expensive type of device (Microsoft Surface Go 2) – towards the end of the school year, the respective school counselors will receive a test device. However, these tablet types will only be delivered once in September – with further orders (from 2022/23 students in the fifth grade will receive a cheap device every year) schools will have to switch to other devices.
A1 Confirmed: Students Now Get the Microsoft Model
A1 also confirmed the new variant to APA news agency: “As the market leader in the IT and telecommunications sector, A1 is very committed to increasing the digital skills of young people. For this reason, A1 has decided to offer alternative devices to students at the same price.”
It is also possible to change the device type afterwards – for example to classic notebooks – and thus without the Windows tablets. If a school prefers a uniform device type for the three grades 2021/22 (5th and 6th grade) and 2022/23 (5th grade), this can be requested.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
