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Budget expected to reveal 'laptops for teachers' initiative

By Tony Hallett

Published: Monday 08 March 1999

Schools in England and Wales are likely to receive a major IT boost tomorrow, when UK Chancellor Gordon Brown announces a major 'laptops for teachers' initiative in his third budget speech.

Reports in today's national press predict over 400,000 teachers will be provided with notebook PCs, as the government attempts to increase efficiency in the classroom and improve the IT literacy of staff.

So far, pilot projects that have seen students provided with their own laptops have been a success. Despite worries about damage to pupils' communication skills, the technology has fostered greater teamwork, according to those close to the schemes.

Downing Street wasn't commenting on the latest initiative today. This year's budget has been marked by a series of leaks, and the official line is that all will be revealed when Brown addresses the House of Commons.

While the Department for Education has acknowledged there should be more investment in IT for schools, funding for equipment hasn't always been forthcoming.

Equipping hundreds of thousands of teachers with PCs - let alone several million students - will cost close to a billion pounds, and mean major business for manufacturers, even after hefty discounts are negotiated.

Tony Blair's pledge to equip 40,000 teachers in Scotland with PCs has already highlighted the government's commitment to technology in schools.