Pupils sell free school laptops

PUPILS have been selling the free laptop computers that Languedoc-Roussillon region supplied to help their studies - but could face action, the region president has said.

Last year the region decided to spend €15.8million a year on a three-year scheme to buy nearly 32,000 laptops for pupils going into seconde, the first year of lycée, in a move to make sure all pupils had access to computers.

However, adverts online had seen the €500 laptops offered for €260 and one pupil seller told Le Figaro that the laptops had been bought and handed out "without asking our advice, without any explanation; as if we were being served chips in the canteen".

The girl added that teachers "never asked us to work on our laptops" so she thought she might as well sell it.

Region president Christian Bourquin told Midi Libre the Dell laptops did not become the pupils' property, so should not be sold.

He said they had been aware of some pupils putting the laptops up for sale as they had their own computers and in most cases had managed to get the adverts withdrawn.

One advert today on a popular online sales site offers a Dell Vostri laptop with the region's LoRdi logo for just €170 as "the battery does not hold charge and I do not understand much about computers".

Mr Bourquin said in a statement they were investigating any sales and "did not rule out prosecutions".