Laptop for a student: there is no money for the program. The PiS government is to blame

A laptop for students is one of the most media and publicized programs of the PiS government. Fourth graders across Poland received in 2023 free computers for learning. What’s next with the implementation of this idea? Krzysztof Gawkowski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digitization, once again suggests that the program may be suspended. For the next edition lack of fundsthere were also numerous uncertainties regarding settlements for the past year.

The end of laptops for students – it’s becoming more and more real

Krzysztof Gawkowski said in the “Rozmowa Piaseckiego” program on TVN24 that the money for the implementation of the program were spent on credit and it is not known how they were used. Currently for laptops for students nhe doesn’t have the resources neither in the state budget nor from the National Reconstruction Plans.

A mess and a huge misunderstanding when it comes to accounting for this program from 2023. This is the smallest nutshell of what happened. There was no money, it was spent on credit, it is not known what happened to it or how it was used. We do not know what laptops were purchased and we do not know what their redistribution was

– said Krzysztof Gawkowski in an interview with TVN24.

Gawkowski argues that the current coalition government wants to implement the program A laptop for a student, but lack of money prevents it. This does not mean, however, that the decision to abandon the PiS idea has already been made. Krzysztof Gawkowski stated that the program can be continued, but it requires a change in assumptions. Among other things, replacing laptops with tablets is being considered, which, according to the minister, is easier for children to work on.

There is little time to make a decision – the decision regarding the program and the announcement of the tender will take place until February 14. According to previous assumptions, the tender for the purchase of laptops will take place in 2024 it should be scheduled in December 2023which, however, did not happen.

One billion 200 million zlotys are needed

A few days ago, TVN drew attention to yet another aspect of financing the Laptop for students program. The stickers on the computers showed that the funds for the program were financed by the EU and came from the National Reconstruction Plan (KPO). In fact, laptops are here to stay financed by the stateand the money was supposed to be there recovered later. The problem appeared when The European Commission raised reservations for settlements. The EC negatively assessed the way the program was implemented and did not accept the changes proposed by the previous government.

Now let Czarnek, Cieszyński and company explain to students that due to PiS’s incompetence, they will not receive laptops in September. They knew full well that they wouldn’t get the money for it and they didn’t do anything about it

– one of the politicians from the new coalition accused the previous government.

The costs of the program are high, as the 2024 edition requires as much as PLN 1 billion 200 million.