The “Laptop for students” program was announced by the Law and Justice government exactly a year ago. The computers were delivered to students at the beginning of the current school year, and the money to finance it (PLN 1.2 billion) was to come from the National Reconstruction Plan. A sticker informing about this was even found on notebook casings. So far, however, no transfer from the EU has reached Poland –
Media: There is no money for laptops for the next generation. The EC has doubts
As the newspaper writes, according to the act of July 2023, the next group of fourth-graders should receive computers by the end of September this year. For this to happen, the new government should announce a tender for the supply of laptops in mid-February. There is little time, and for now the problem is financing another pool of computers.
Citing its sources in the ministry, the daily explains that the European Commission has doubts whether to qualify such costs for financing from the National Reconstruction Plan. In December, the ministry allegedly received a letter from Brussels questioning the legitimacy of the expense. The Minister of Digitization, Krzysztof Gawkowski, in an interview with DGP, confirmed that “the EC has indicated and indicates that the type of financing for laptops planned by PiS could not be qualified, therefore this program should be changed.”
According to the daily’s sources, the controversial issue is the provision of equipment for students’ home use. Initially – in accordance with the assumptions submitted by PiS – there was to be no mention of this, but the previous government in practice gave the students’ families ownership of the computers. Moreover, he made the program one of the lures of last year’s election campaign.
Therefore, the future of the program is uncertain. There are two options – at least for now. Either the new government will change the rules of the program so that students do not receive laptops for home use and reach an agreement with the European Commission, or it will end the program completely. The possible date for the conclusion of negotiations with the Commission remains unknown.
Source: Gazeta
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