• Factors such as the nature & popularity of the school, no. of students & parental affluence considered  

In response to allegations by teachers’ unions on schools’ overcharging students for smart boards, a Ceylon Principals’ Union (CPU) representative and a serving Government school principal Piyasiri Fernando claimed that several factors are taken into account while deciding on the relevant charges.

“While we do sometimes collect a charge for smart boards, we have to understand that not all schools are equal,” Fernando told The Daily Morning yesterday (24). “The decision on how much to charge will be based on the affluence of the school and the students, the number of students in the school as well as the nature of the school.”

These comments are in response to claims made by the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) that several parents have been charged sums that cause them financial distress. “Despite being State funded, we have received a lot of complaints from parents, of schools collecting excessive amounts from them to install smart boards,” CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin claimed. “Sometimes, this results in parents facing financial burdens.”

Stalin also noted that despite smart boards being given to schools, it is often attached in one classroom, resulting in only a select group of students being able to use it. 

“Yes, smart boards are often installed in one classroom due to affordability and convenience,” Fernando said. “However, we don’t exclude students from using it but ensure use on a rotational basis, where students and teachers take turns in using the facilities.”

These comments follow the Cabinet of Ministers approval to buy 1,000 smart boards from Huawei Technologies at approximately Rs. one million per unit without a tender. It is reported that the nearly Rs. one million cost does not include the cost of an uninterruptible power supply, wiring and maintenance, which the State must pay for separately. Meanwhile, the Government proposed the purchase of 422 smart boards for Pirivena classrooms at approximately Rs. 300,000 per unit.  

Smart boards are an interactive tool for teachers and students that allow editing and annotating with a stylus or their fingers while also being able to interact with other electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and computer screens.