The “Computer for every child” project aiming to equip all the elementary and secondary schools with computers, is now interrupted and its realization is uncertain, well informed sources claim.

The Ministry of Information Society confirmed that the project is halted, but they say that it is not terminated and that it will continue once certain obstacles are dealt with. Due to unsettled debts between the Public Enterprise – Macedonian Broadcasting (MB) and the Ministry of Education, on one side, and the companies engaged for installing the computer equipment, on the other, part of the companies are filing a lawsuit against Macedonian Broadcasting for a debt of approximately 300 million denars.

At the end of last year, when the Government approved the funds for realization of the project for computerization of the schools, Macedonian Broadcasting was engaged by the Government to announce a public bid for companies to install the electric and telecommunications network in the schools. Because of the old wiring, new installations were needed in almost every school, and this was performed by the selected companies in most of the high schools and elementary schools.

The problem occurred when the firms asked PE Macedonian Broadcasting to pay them 5 million euros for the project realization, but MB was not able to comply. For several months now, the Ministry of Education refuses to transfer money to the account of Macedonian Broadcasting for paying the companies, due to the chaos in this public enterprise following the replacement of its former director Sasho Stanchevski.

For several days now, an audit is being performed on the complete documentation since there is doubt that illegitimate activities have been conducted regarding the amount of the funds spent for the realization of the whole project.

The current director of the Public Enterprise Macedonian Broadcasting, Julijana Spirovska, refuses to discuss about this issue. “There is no need for me to discuss with the media on the topic related to the project “Computer for every child” – Spirovska said. Representatives from the Ministry of Information Society confirm that the “Computer for every child” project is halted and that the pace of realization is now depending on MB’s current condition. The project is not terminated, but its realization is delayed due to the audit which is currently taking place.

If everything goes fine, we are expecting that by the end of the winter vacation, the installation of the computers in all of the elementary schools would be finalized – says Antonio Atanasov from the Ministry of Information Society. The project for computerization of the elementary and high schools was announced as one of the most ambitious Government projects. About nine million euros were allocated from the budget for its realization. So far, computers have been installed in almost all of the high schools, but the installation of computers in 364 elementary schools is carried out with great difficulties.

The opposition criticized the project, indicating that the computers are already obsolete, and that several students could be connected to only one computer.

Author: Igor Chaveski

Source: Vreme “Се блокира компјутерот за секое дете” Number 1517, November 11, 2008