The standard of education in the country is in for a cyber boost - only a week after the Department of Basic Education abandoned outcomes-based education.

The Teacher Laptop Initiative was launched yesterday by the Education Labour Relations Council , aimed at about 370 000 teachers at all schools.

The initiative, which falls under the department, is a result of "months of intense deliberations".

But the council's media manager, Heins Worst, said teachers would not readily receive the laptops. They would have to qualify for a government subsidy to assist them in obtaining a laptop.

Qualifying teachers would have a choice of packages, which range from R250 and R390 a month from suppliers that have been accredited by the department.

Each qualifying teacher would be given a monthly allowance of R130 but would have to add the rest.

The laptop package would include school administration materials and the national curriculum, as well as internet connectivity.

But Worst cautioned: "Due to the fact, however, that the provincial departments are restricted in terms of budget and resources, the roll-out will take place in cohorts depending on seniority.

"These teachers will receive letters from their provincial departments informing them [of their qualification]."

SA Democratic Teachers' Union president Thobile Ntola said the initiative would ensure that the country produced scholars who could "compete in the technological world".

"We're happy that government has taken this seriously. It will surely improve the performance of teachers and, of course, all pupils," he said.

"The laptops will be given to every single registered teacher, so we hope we can really produce world-class pupils, because we want to compete in the technological world."

But according to Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools chief executive Paul Colditz, laptops for individual teachers are not as necessary as having internet-enabled computers available for teachers' usage.

He said this week: "I think its important that teachers have the latest available technology to assist them. But I'm not sure it's necessary that every teacher has one [a laptop].

"But having said that, it now depends on the teachers. They now have the technology, the ball is now in their court to use it to make a difference in the lives of pupils."