This is the Express retraction. Notice that "erroneously" is spelled incorrectly, and that there is no apology. I thought TTUTA's President made some salient points, however.
Gopeesingh: Laptops cost $4,000, not $15, 000
By Aabida Allaham
Story Updated: Oct 1, 2010 at 11:29 AM ECT
Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh said yesterday that the cost of each laptop remains at $4,000, while an estimated commercial value of $12,000 to $15,000 has been placed on each of them.
He was commenting on a page seven story headlined "Laptops jump from $4,000 to $15,000" in yesterday's Express.
The story erroneosly stated that the cost of each computer was between $12,000 to $15,000.
What Gopeesingh actually said on Wednesday about the cost of the computers was: " ......as laptops continue to be built, the cost would be cheaper and cheaper. But this laptop's real value is more than $12,000 to $15,000 because the value of Microsoft XP Professional 2010 alone is US$500 or more, and then the other applications are really worth quite a lot so students are benefitting much more (from this laptop) than the value of an ordinary laptop which is normally between $4,000 to $5,000."
On the Website
www.hp.com, it states that HP works directly with Absolute Software Corporation to embed the Computrace Agent to the BIOS of many HP commercial notebooks that not only makes them traceable, but highly resistant to tampering as well.
In August, HP was awarded an $83 million contract to supply 24,000 fully loaded laptops for distribution to successful Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination pupils.
As part of the contract, Gopeesingh added that HP also outfitted each of the HP 425 models with faster processing speeds, wireless capability, Bluetooth (wireless) connectivity, larger internal storage, faster hard drive speeds, nine cell batteries, Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, Microsoft Digital Library, Microsoft Bing Maps 3D, Worldwide Telescope, firewalls and anti-virus.
In a telephone interview yesterday, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA), Roustan Job said contrary to people’s beliefs, they were happy about the laptops but still had reservations.
"There was an impression that TUTTA was against the laptops, let me just say that was a wrong impression. We had our concerns," he said.
"Giving them laptops was one thing, but how it will be integrated into the school’s curriculum is another."Job also questioned the issue of cost not stated by the Ministry of Education with regard to things like electrical wiring, wireless internet installation and additional storage facilities for those children choosing to leave the laptop at the school.
"Is there electrical capacity to ensure that these computers are charged when in use because in many schools that is already an issue so there may be an additional cost for that," he said.
Job hoped the form one pupils benefitted from the laptops, although he would have much preferred form six pupils to received them as well.
"I really hope they become more all round students, you never know, we might have the next creator of Facebook," he said.
