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February 2003 Insights Education
Issue #1
Computers in secondary schools:
high-cost problem or low-cost cure-all?
What are the costs of using computers in schools? At one extreme, a school
provides each student with a laptop computer, high-speed Internet connection
and other well-resourced computer facilities. This costs several thousands
of US dollars per student. At the other extreme, efficient computer use
can reduce costs to as little as US$10 per student per year. In developing
countries where resources for schools are limited, it is vital to be aware
of the full costs of supplying a school with computers.
Research undertaken in South Africa and Zimbabwe on behalf of the UK’s
Department for International Development and the World Bank suggests that
when calculating the cost of providing computers, important considerations
are:
- infrastructure: including hardware, software, secure and watertight
buildings, a reliable power supply, connectivity, wiring and furniture
- initial and ongoing training: this should be planned and budgeted
for before installation but is often neglected. Untrained teachers can
be so wary of computers that equipment is underused or unused
- running costs and maintenance: electricity costs may be significant
and Internet connectivity can run up large telephone bills
- replacement costs: some schools replace equipment every three years
while others hope for five to ten years use.
Research in Zimbabwe indicates that providing a telecentre with around
10 reasonable, second-hand computers, plus teacher training, technical
support, running costs and connectivity, costs US$6 000 to $8 000 per
computer over five years or US$1 200 to $1 600 per computer per year.
But the real costs are the other resources that could be purchased with
the money. The research shows that the same funds used to provide a telecentre
could buy some 2 000 text books or pay approximately 3.5 newly-qualified
teachers a year (see box below).
The level of provision also greatly affects costs. The best, most up-to-date
computer equipment may be unnecessary. Good learning outcomes can be gained
from low specification equipment, and second-hand machines can give many
years of low cost, effective educational use. Several non-governmental
organisations recycle computers to developing countries.
Efficient use of computers may be a more crucial question than that
of cost. Improved efficiency can increase use to 80 per cent of potential
use, in contrast to the 20-30 per cent common in many schools. Some schools
also make their facilities available to the community and students from
other schools after lessons end. If each computer is used by two students
per hour, for five hours each weekday and by one community user per hour
during non-school time (five hours a day, six days a week), then every
week, each computer could provide 50 students working in pairs and 30
external users with an hour’s use each. At this higher level of
computer use, reasonable quality provision can cost around US$15-25 per
user per year.
Computers tend to be used more if they are not seen as free but instead
as something that has to be worked for. An incentive model of provision
is more likely to have better results. Here schools compete for facilities
and must outline in their bids the timetabled usage, staff training methods
(including senior staff), strategies for meeting running costs and plans
to integrate computer use across the curriculum. This ensures that schools
think through these critical issues and feel they have earned the facilities
rather than feeling obliged to accept them.
So are computers in schools a high cost problem or a low cost cure-all?
The answer depends partly on increasing efficiency. Suggested methods
of doing this include:
- Considering using low specification equipment and second-hand machines
with multiple users to reduce costs. However second-hand machines can
sometimes be time-consuming to operate and expensive to maintain.
- Making school computer facilities available to the community. This
increases efficiency and also gives schools the opportunity to develop
good school and community relationships which can, in turn, improve
educational outcomes.
- Introducing competition for facilities, thereby encouraging schools
to plan thoroughly and producing a sense of ownership of the computer
equipment.
Andy Cawthera
andycawthera@onetel.net.uk
See also
'Computers in Secondary Schools in Developing Countries: Costs and Other
Issues', Education Research Serial #43, DFID, by A. Cawthera, 2001
http://imfundo.digitalbrain.com/imfundo/web/plan/computer%20costs/?verb=view
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