Thai government hands tablet computers to border students

TAK, THAILAND, August 15 (TNA) - Primary school students in remote villages along the Thai-Myanmar border have received tablet computers from the Thai government’s “One Tablet per Child” (OTPC) scheme. Education Ministry officials delivered the tablets for grade 1 pupils of Mae Sot School in Mae Sot District of Thailand's northwestern Tak province on Tuesday. Teachers then gave the delighted young children instructions on how to operate their new devices equipped with useful educational applications, including four parts of lessons, multimedia programs and basic applications. Other 78 schools in Tak have also received the tablet PCs, including 15 in Umpang and Ta Song Yang Districts situated in a mountainous area along the Thai-Myanmar border. The Education Ministry officials, however, acknowledged a problem for PC users in the remote villages, where no power line has been available, causing the teachers to have relied on recharged batteries supported by other villages. After receiving the devices from suppliers last month, the Thai government has been delivering them to schools across the country, with Tak being among first Thai provinces having obtained the tablets. (TNA)