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View Full Version : UK Government To Offer Free Laptops + Broadband To Poorer Families



Lux
11 Jan 2010, 05:41pm
http://www.itproportal.com/portal/news/article/2010/1/11/uk-government-offer-free-laptops-broadband-poorer-families/


UK Government To Offer Free Laptops, Broadband To Poorer Families
11 January, 2010, by Desire Athow

The UK government has announced plans to revive the Home Access Scheme, which will see a nation wide rollout of free laptops and broadband internet connections to pupils from poorer backgrounds, with the intention of ‘bridging the gap between rich and poor pupils.’

The scheme, which was first announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in October 2008, will provide free laptops and internet connection to around 270,000 poor families in Britain and has already been initiated in two local areas.

The scheme will allow the students to keep the laptops but the internet connection will be funded for just one year.
(ed : incidentally and by pure coincidence, Talktalk is giving away 12 months free broadband when users take on a 24-month contract. Users will get free broadband, unlimited evening and weekend calls as well as a wireless router).

Earlier, this very scheme was a component of the Home Computing Initiative, in which companies were asked to lease out free computers to their employees in return to tax breaks. However, after garnering the support of around 60 firms, the scheme died down in just 7 years.
According to BBC News, a recent report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies had claimed that students with a laptop at home saw an increase of 2 grade points in one subject at GCSE level.


I lol'd my pants.....haven't these kids heard of a library or something??? Most of these kids are probably just going to sell the laptop anyway.....and if not spend all their time on myspace.

What is the point of EMA??? Students who's parents are on low income get paid up to £30 per week if they attend all lessons to spend on stuff to use for their education...

Bilbo Baggins
11 Jan 2010, 06:42pm
The state o'Maine has this for Junior High kids, its a waste of money. A lot of the school don't even let them take the computers home so they're useless for homework, and the stated goal of providing computers for kids from poorer families. Oh and they're macs, so if they are from poor families they could never afford a mac for home.

/dev/null
13 Jan 2010, 10:44pm
Bad idea, definite waste of money. A computer is not a need. Libraries usually have enough computers. How many kids are going to use these for learning?

Red
14 Jan 2010, 09:34am
Another horrible idea by big brother.

Kids don't need fucking laptops.

Zealot
14 Jan 2010, 11:05am
If it's for education after highschool (Whatever the UK version is) aka college and university then it might be a good idea since costs are ridiculous. If it's for highschool kids, LOL. Have fun when all of them are using facebook instead of learning.

RaDiuM
14 Jan 2010, 02:23pm
http://www.itproportal.com/portal/news/article/2010/1/11/uk-government-offer-free-laptops-broadband-poorer-families/



I lol'd my pants.....haven't these kids heard of a library or something??? Most of these kids are probably just going to sell the laptop anyway.....and if not spend all their time on myspace.

What is the point of EMA??? Students who's parents are on low income get paid up to £30 per week if they attend all lessons to spend on stuff to use for their education...

Agree and they are really strict, my friend was 30 seconds late to a lesson and he didn't get his ema for that week.

Lux
14 Jan 2010, 03:39pm
Agree and they are really strict, my friend was 30 seconds late to a lesson and he didn't get his ema for that week.

My college lets people be late for one lesson a week..but another college my friend goes to lets you be late twice.

hV
14 Jan 2010, 04:00pm
Agree and they are really strict, my friend was 30 seconds late to a lesson and he didn't get his ema for that week.

That's a lie, EMA is only lost for a week if you are late twice.
And what good reason do people have for EMA being unfair to people not as well off as others?
If you don't think it's fair, get a job and stop complaining.

RaDiuM
17 Jan 2010, 01:12pm
That's a lie, EMA is only lost for a week if you are late twice.
And what good reason do people have for EMA being unfair to people not as well off as others?
If you don't think it's fair, get a job and stop complaining.

Not a lie, I'm at a very strict school. The lady that says if you can have it or not is a bitch which makes it worse and she gets lots of complaints.

It is unfair, most of the people that are on it have parents that don't work and are claiming fuck loads from benefits. The other thing about it is for example your mum is made redundant, you apply for ema, 1 month later your mum gets a new job and your parents are earning above what ever the thing is (20-30k?), you still keep your ema. How the fuck does that work?

Lux
17 Jan 2010, 04:05pm
The other thing about it is for example your mum is made redundant, you apply for ema, 1 month later your mum gets a new job and your parents are earning above what ever the thing is (20-30k?), you still keep your ema. How the fuck does that work?

Government failure, get used to it. :twitch:

RaDiuM
17 Jan 2010, 05:28pm
Government failure, get used to it. :twitch:

I am.

Tomathon
18 Jan 2010, 10:15am
Good idea!

Mephisto
19 Jan 2010, 12:14am
Well this can open the youth to the rest of the world by giving them direct contact to it... but I do believe that hunger is a bigger problem and should be invest in

Lux
19 Jan 2010, 09:25am
Well this can open the youth to the rest of the world by giving them direct contact to it... but I do believe that hunger is a bigger problem and should be invest in

Most people in the UK get more than enough food....look at TCP

P3rg3
19 Jan 2010, 01:38pm
Good idea!

Care to explain?
I find this idea one of the worst in a while.

RaDiuM
19 Jan 2010, 05:33pm
Care to explain?
I find this idea one of the worst in a while.


Maybe he is getting himself a free laptop?

Lucid
19 Jan 2010, 08:35pm
If they want a MAC all they need to do is visit their nearest University, and I'm sure they would have some.

hV
21 Jan 2010, 01:38pm
I think it's a good idea for potential students / uni / college students who will make use of them but not for the kids who don't do ANYTHING useful with their education and their lives... The ones who go to school because they have to and think they can become a joiner. They would just sell the laptops anyway haha!

RedOctober
21 Jan 2010, 05:21pm
are there any specs out on the laptops and the internet speed?

RaDiuM
26 Jan 2010, 01:18pm
are there any specs out on the laptops and the internet speed?

Internet speed specs: Dial-up

Laptop specs: Laptopsforthepoor Notebook power 5 edition