Government laptops in the shadow of scandal. There is a notice to the prosecutor’s office
The Ministry of Digitization submitted a notification to the prosecutor’s office about the possibility of committing a crime in connection with the “laptops for students” program.
One of the flagship programs of the PiS government, just before the elections, were “laptops for students”. These were sent to all fourth-graders and are intended to be used for learning. The new coalition government believes that many mistakes were made in its implementation, as also pointed out by the European Union. The prosecutor’s office also received a confidential notification about the possibility of committing a crime.
The prosecutor’s office will check laptops for students
At a recent conference in which we had the opportunity to participate, the new Minister of Digital Affairs, Krzysztof Gawkowski, revealed what mistakes the previous government had made when implementing the “laptops for students” program.
The most important one concerns financing. The computers were bought with state money, and the amount was later to be recovered from EU funds. The whole problem is that the European Commission assessed the program negatively and there was a huge hole in the budget, amounting to over PLN 1 billion. Additionally, financing for the next year has not been secured.
Krzysztof Gawkowski announced that a report about the possibility of committing a crime would be submitted to the prosecutor’s office. The word was kept and such a notification was sent to the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw. It was submitted in secret, so we do not know the details. However, we can be sure that it will be a very high-profile case.
The Minister of Digitization submitted a confidential notification to the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw in connection with the possibility of committing a crime during the tender for the purchase of equipment under the “Laptop for a student” program. The materials that became the basis for assembling… pic.twitter.com/df9Udr0Tw0
— Ministry of Digitization (@CYFRA_GOV_PL) February 15, 2024
The current government announced the creation of a new program for students. However, this is scheduled for 2025 at the earliest, so fourth graders will not receive any equipment in this year. It is also unknown whether these will also include laptops. The Ministry of Digitization may encourage, for example, tablets.
