1. WCED Circular 0039/2010 has reference.
2. The Teachers' Laptop Initiative (TLI) was launched in the Western Cape on 30 October 2010 and 600 teachers were invited to attend the launch.
3. The TLI is part of a plan by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and other stakeholders in education to improve the overall quality of education by making resources available to learners and teachers in the public education sector.
4. The TLI is aimed at assisting permanently employed school-based teachers, through the payment of a monthly non-pensionable allowance, to meet the cost of the purchase, connectivity and insurance of a laptop computer. The TLI is not mandatory, and teachers who participate in the TLI and who comply with the requirements will receive a non-pensionable allowance of R130 per month for a period of 5 years.
5. The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) has been mandated to manage the project on behalf of the DBE and the employee parties. The ELRC has invited quotations from laptop manufacturers and connectivity providers so as to obtain the best deal for teachers.
6. The TLI will be implemented over a period of 5 years. The first group of 3 500 teachers, which included principals, deputy principals, heads of department and teachers, has already received letters inviting them to participate in the scheme. These teachers were selected on the basis of their seniority of rank and, as stated above, are eligible to receive the TLI allowance over a 5-year period.
7. The TLI will be rolled out to include more teachers as more funds become available. The WCED urges eligible teachers to make use of this opportunity, which is aimed at supporting quality learning and teaching.
8. Information about the suppliers, packages, partners, and the application and purchasing process, as well as answers to FAQs, can be found on the website at
www.teacher-laptop.co.za
9. The purchasing process, as stipulated by the ELRC, is as follows:

  • The provincial education department (PED) selects teachers who qualify for the TLI.
  • A letter of notification from the PED is sent to each teacher selected.
  • The teacher approaches one of the authorised outlets selected by the supplier. This will be indicated on the TLI website at www.teacher-laptop.co.za. Alternatively, the supplier can be contacted in this regard.
  • The teacher has the opportunity to compare the different packages offered by suppliers.
  • The letter of notification is presented to the supplier.
  • The legitimacy of the letter and the teacher is validated on the central registry of the TLI.
  • Once the teacher has chosen a package, the teacher and the accredited service provider enter into an agreement.
  • The service provider issues the teacher with a certificate of purchase containing all the information about the package. Everything from serial numbers to connectivity is captured. The certificate is accompanied by a unique number that will be verified on the TLI's central registry.
  • The teacher will be required to sign a code of conduct.
  • The certificate serves as proof of purchase and will be used to activate the teacher's e-mail account. It will also be forwarded to the PED to enable the monthly allowance and stop order for repayments to be activated.
10. Kindly bring this circular to the attention of all teaching staff.


SIGNED: PA VINJEVOLD
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2010:12:01

Teacher laptop initiative suppliers list  (size: 14 KB)