Chromebooks & Cost โคSavings: Nadiem Makarim defends 2019-2022 Procurement Amidst Corruption โAllegations
Jakarta, โIndonesia -โ Indonesia’s Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim, is facing scrutiny over alleged corruption related to the procurement of Chromebooks between 2019 and 2022. However, new details areโฃ emerging regarding the rationale behind choosing Chromebooks over conventional Windows laptops, centering on significant cost differencesโ and enhanced security features.
According to Nadiem Makarim’s attorney, โฃHotman Paris โขHutapea, the โฃkey factor in the decision was the cost of device management. Chromebook’s Chrome Device Management system is a one-time fee of approximately $30 per laptop. This contrasts sharply with Windows,which requires recurring payments of $200-$300 every three โฃyears.
“When compared to โคthe price of this device management with Windows, Windows is much more expensive – the price of โupkeep if Windows costs $200 โto $230 per 3 years,” Hutapea explained in a press conference on Monday.”While Googleโฃ is onyl a one-time lifetime cost of $30.”
Chrome Device Management is a centralized system allowing IT administrators in schools and businesses to manage Chromebooks, including application installation and policy implementation. Hutapea highlighted โคthe security benefits,stating the system allows for control over student access to inappropriate content,such โas pornography.
Beyond the โmanagement system costs, the โprice ofโค the laptops themselves saw reductions during the 2021-2022 procurement period, dropping from Rp 6,499,000 to Rp 5,800,000 (approximately $420 toโ $375 USD at current exchange rates) per unit. These findings are based on an audit conductedโ by the Indonesian Government’s Financial Audit Board (BPKP),which โreportedly found no significant issues impactingโค the budget determination.
Nadiem Makarim himself previously addressed the Chromebook selection in June, stating the decision followed a thorough ministry study evaluating both โขprice and specifications. He emphasized that Chromebooks were the more affordable option, offering easily accessible and free systems, alongside the crucial โขability to monitor โapplications โขused by students.
“Beyond that, there are various โคfunctionsโฆ to remember that this is for the function of education. Where the โฃsecurity of our students and teachers is โคa priorityโฆ and one of the most important things of the study is control of applications that can be in the Chromebook,” Makarim stated.Key Takeaways:
The decision to procure Chromebooks was โdriven by significant cost savings inโข device management compared to Windows laptops.
Chromebooks offer enhanced security features,โฃ allowing schools to monitor and control โapplication access.
โAn audit by the BPKP found no major budgetary concerns related toโข the procurement process.
The price โขof the Chromebooks themselves decreased during the procurementโ period.
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