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The Forum > Article Comments > Digital dilemma - who should pay for school internet access? > Comments

Digital dilemma - who should pay for school internet access? : Comments

By Neil Selwyn, published 23/1/2013

Today the Internet is a basic commodity which needs to be provided to schools without cost.

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We used to own a telco/IT provider, which used to earn, we the people around 7 billion plus PA.
Now we own a fibre network, which will earn us quintillions, even as we install it in all schools and provide them with a cyber highway, free of charge!
And if it is ever fatuously completely privatised, that condition should remain, as part of the compact!
Maximising already excellent bottom line profits, at the expense of our future, is simply not clever! Eliminating the middleman profit taker, and seriously reforming and simplifying the tax system, would be!
Look, as innovators we rank around 23 in 140 comparable economies.
But as innovators who bring their ideas to commercial fruition, we're way down there at 120 something.
We need to get away from this terribly antiquated brick and mortar mindset; and indeed, charging ourselves a fee, for what we already own!
Instead, we need to start investing in our own people and their better ideas.
And we need to start now, to inculcate that different mindset in tomorrows leaders and innovators.
There was a time when our schools, hospitals and public buildings were powered on the public purse.
Well, we used to own all the generating capacity, the wires and the retail reticulation!
And ensuring kids, [doctors, nurses and public officials,] had enough light to read by, without straining their eyes, was in simple economics, a very far-sighted and incredibly wise investment in our future; and or, just smart thinking!
We need to once again, readopt that same, think outside the box pragmatism.
Maybe we could even follow the much more pragmatic Scandinavians, and start making and exporting quality/ commercialised innovation, to the rest of the world?
But before we can, we need to start doing a few things differently, or taking a leaf or three, out of the, how to, Scandinavian education book!
Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Wednesday, 23 January 2013 11:17:15 AM
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