Funding Doubt After School's Computer Levy

The Age

Friday November 14, 2008

Dan Harrison

A MELBOURNE high school is charging parents an annual levy of up to $300 for the use of a laptop computer, reviving criticisms the Rudd Government's computers in schools program is not funded adequately to cover the costs of maintaining the computers.

Lilydale High School is offering its students a choice of two models for the 2009 year, one priced at $150 and the other at $300.

The school's program is more ambitious than federal Labor's $1.2 billion promise to put a computer on the desk of every student in years 9 to 12.

Lilydale students in all year levels can get a computer that they can take home as well as to all classes.

Some state governments have criticised the Rudd Government program on the grounds that they will be landed with the installation and running costs of the technology.

Coalition education spokesman Christopher Pyne said schools were "taking matters into their own hands" because the State Government couldn't cover the additional costs.

Federal Liberal MP Tony Smith, whose electorate of Casey takes in Lilydale High, said the school has had to impose the levy to help pay for "on-costs", such as additional administrative, technical and software support.

A spokeswoman for Education Minister Julia Gillard said individual schools had their own programs and the policies and fees charged by individual schools were a matter for those schools.

© 2008 The Age

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