By Yuko Narushima
A ZIPPY internet connection? Sure. A social network? No way.
The State Government will give 197,000 senior public high school students a mini laptop next year. It will have wireless but no access to Facebook and MySpace.
The Minister for Education, Verity Firth, said the Government would prevent access to the social networking sites, and other sites, even when the laptops were used at home.
"We don't want these kids to be using these computers for the not-so-wholesome things that can be on the net. And they won't be able to because essentially the whole server is coming through the Department of Education."
Before Labor was elected a year ago it promised that all students in years 9 to 12 would have access to a computer with a fast internet connection. On Saturday it offered $807 million in funding for states and territories that threatened to pull the plug over high running costs.
The $285 million allocated to NSW, including $189 million for public schools, was enough to get the state back onside.
Ms Firth said the laptops would revolutionise the way students learnt and teachers taught.
"[Students] can take it home, back to school, and then after four years, when they leave school, they can take their computer away with them."
The Federal Government initially intended to supply desktop computers in 80 per cent of cases, but Ms Firth said laptops were a better option because at $2245 apiece, including software, wireless internet for schools and training for teachers, the plan would cost half as much as it would have if it involved desktops.