Team Herald
PANJIM: Students finally have something to cheer about. Directorate of Education (DOE) on Monday said that the much-awaited laptops under the government’s cyber age scheme in phase 1 will be distributed to students of the academic year 2016-17 before the Diwali vacations.
This means that students who have already completed their Class XII and are now in the First Year of their chosen courses will be given the laptops that were supposed to be given to them last year.
DoE has attributed the delay in distribution of laptops under the scheme to the election code of conduct and also the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST). The laptops, about 45,000 in number, are being purchased at a cost of Rs 85.50 crore.
Speaking to Herald, Education Director G P Bhat said, “Around 15,000 students will be provided laptops in each of the three phases. Under phase one, laptops will be distributed to students of Class Xll of the academic year 2016-17 before the Diwali vacations and subsequently the remaining two phases will be completed before year end.”
According to the tender, the first phase was scheduled from June to August for students of Class Xll of the academic year 2016-17, while in the second phase from September to November, Class XII students of the academic year 2017-18 will get them and in the third phase, from December to February, students of Class XI of the academic year 2017-18 will be given laptops.
“The delay in distribution was because of the code of conduct and due to the implementation of GST but now as everything is sorted out the distribution for phase one students will start before the Diwali vacations,” Bhat said.
According to the scheme, students from aided schools can avail of the laptops by paying Rs 1000 but recently the scheme was also open to unaided schools wherein students will have to pay Rs 2000.
