Some say they may not be able to fund upgrading of hardware under EMB plans
Schools fear a growing digital divide between those serving rich and poor communities as the government plans to put the onus on schools and parents to upgrade their IT hardware.
The Association of Subsidised Primary School Councils will submit its concerns over the Education and Manpower Bureau's strategy for developing IT in education over the next five years which was released for consultation at the end of last month.
The EMB would be looking to 'schools, parents and other sponsors' to replace and upgrade their IT infrastructure and could match funds provided by schools to introduce wireless technology and LCD projectors, according to the consultation paper.
The focus of spending, it spells out, should be on developing the use of IT through professional development of teachers and improving access to software via Hong Kong Education City (HKEdCity). The report notes that visionary leadership needed to promote innovation has not been widespread.
But Nelson Lau Chi-keung, chairman of the Subsidised Primary School Council, fears many schools will not be able to fund the replacement or upgrading of obsolete equipment. 'We have no choice but to put the computers under our desks if the government ceases funding us,' he said.
'Most subsidised primary school students come from low-income families, which don't have the ability to shoulder the huge costs involved in upgrading.'
