DepEd takes on computerization of public schools using thin clients J. M. Tuazon, InterAksyon.com InterAksyon.com · Monday, February February 20, 2012 · 1:10 am
— The MANILA, Philippines Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) is embarking on an ambitious plan to provide computer facilities to the more than 40,000 public schools nationwide using a new way of providing computer workstations without the steep costs. This new way of setting up computer labs is made possible through what is called as thin-client computing, which NComputing, the vendor which DepEd partnered with to provide the technology, has claimed to reduce total costs by as much as 75 percent. Thin clients usually come in the form of a small device that connects to a central server where all the information processing takes place. As such, thin clients do not have microprocessors embedded in them. To perform computational tasks, the thin clients are linked via the network to the central server, where all the processing is done. This is possible because of a recent technology called virtualization, which maximizes the use of processor, and divides it i nto several “virtual desktops” that are pushed into the individual thin clients.
Manish Sharma, NComputing vice president for Asia Pacific, explained that such a setup was borne out of the fact that computing habits — particularly in schools — remain unchanged in the past decade even as processing power of computers have gotten better over the years. “Over a period of time, the needs [of students] have not grown, and there is a huge amount of power in computers which we do not use,” Sharma said in a recent press briefing. Sharma pointed out that on average, students use only about 5 percent to 10 percent of the processing power of computers when they do their word processing, Internet surfing or presentation making requirements in school. “The remaining power is surplus power which we pay for but do not use,” he stressed. Using thin client devices such as the one from NComputing, schools can set up computer laboratories with as much as 30 workstations but only need to buy three desktop servers to power all of them. In the case of Philippine public schools, NComputing was able to provide almost 30,000 workstations to more than 3,000 public elementary and technical-vocational schools in the country using only 5,000 desktops that acted as servers. Sharma claimed that the solution is more cost-effective than buying more than 30,000 full-blown desktop units for the schools. On average, CPU units cost as much as P20,000, while NComputing’s thin clients come at a price of around P4,000. “But the price goes down as scaled,” he added. “These devices are also immune to obsolescence. They don’t need to be replaced for as long as 7 to 8 years. Even if new technologies come along, the devices would still be operational,” the executive shared. The project is now operational after being deployed in the participant-schools from March to September 2011. It is part of the “Supply, Delivery, Installation, Configuration, Testing and Commissioning of IT Equipment for DepEd in 3,077 schools” project commissioned by the education department. Other components of the project include interactive whiteboards — which were sourced from another provider — and other e-learning materials that would be provided to schools. Sharma said the type of implementation used in the Philippines has also been used in other developing countries such as Pakistan, Bhutan and India, but noted that the Philippines has been the biggest adopter of thin client technology in Asia. The computer labs project is just part of the broader plan of DepEd Sec. Armin Luistro to bring Philippine education to the next level of innovation. Last year, a private-sector initiative called GILAS, which connected more than 3,000 public high schools to the Internet, has been turned over to the DepEd for full-scale implementation in the remaining educational institutions.
