FREDERICTON — New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham is promising to give the province's 61,000 middle and high school students their own laptops if his government is re-elected -- an initiative that would be the first program of its kind in Canada.

The Liberal leader declined to provide a cost estimate behind the campaign promise, saying that would be released when the party unveils its entire platform at some later time. But he said the plan is affordable.

"The price of new technology has decreased dramatically. It becomes more affordable then for our students to access," he said Tuesday.

Penny Milton, the chief executive of the Canadian Education Association, praised Graham's proposal, saying it could lead students to spend more hours learning, particularly if they are allowed to bring the laptops home with them.

"It's really clear that to have a laptop to do your school work motivates your students. They tend to do more work than when home life and school life are separated," said Milton, who studied a pilot project of Grade 7 and 8 students using laptops in New Brunswick.

Milton said there is a similar laptop program underway at schools in the Eastern Townships School Board in Quebec, and other school boards in Alberta and British Columbia have laptop pilot projects underway. But she said New Brunswick would be the first province to offer a permanent, provincewide laptop program in Canadian schools.

The principal of the Calgary Science School, where a pilot project has provided laptops to 600 middle school students, said he's seeing improvement in academic performance.

"The work students produce shows greater depth of thought, more critical thinking," Darrell Lonsberry said.

He said students are asked to pay a fee of $450 a year, with the school covering remaining costs. That contribution also helps pay for an outdoor education trip.

Lonsberry estimates the school's annual cost for the laptop program is about $430,000, which includes hardware, software, maintenance, teacher laptops and projectors in classrooms.

He said he understands that some jurisdictions won't be able to afford such a program, but he also touts its benefits.

"I'm hoping in the next few years we get past the discussion about money because our students live in a digital world," he said. "We can't continue to use teaching methods from when we were in school, when the world has changed so fundamentally. ... You have to look at the cost of not doing this."

Maine has a similar program, where 61,000 students in Grades 7 and 8 get laptops.

Jeff Mao, director of the program, said the annual cost is about US$242 per pupil -- or about US$14.8 million -- which covers laptops, software, professional development, repairs and replacements.

In 2004, the former Conservative government in New Brunswick spent $2 million to provide 500 Grade 7 students with laptops. The program has been expanded to include more students, but a spokeswoman for the Education Department was unable to say Tuesday how many laptops have been given.

About 60,750 middle and high school students are expected to head to class next week.

Graham said the recent completion of high-speed Internet access across New Brunswick now makes it possible to offer laptops provincewide.

He said student test scores have improved over the last four years and new initiatives such as Tuesday's announcement are an effort to continue that momentum.

"The goal is to continue to improve student literacy, mathematics and language skills while emphasizing creativity, innovation, collaboration and technology in the classroom," Graham said.

New Brunswick Conservatives criticized the laptop promise. Tory candidate Craig Leonard questioned the costs of implementing such a program, saying it could take away from funding for physical education, art, music and trades skills training.

Tuesday was the sixth day of the campaign, with four weeks to go until the Sept. 27 election.