Fiji: Tablets for students

Oceanía/Fiji/09 de Septiembre de 2016/Autora: Litia Cava/Fuente: The Fiji Times

RESUMEN: Los libros de texto de impresión del año pasado estan plagados de desafíos. El Ministerio de Educación tiene una alternativa para los alumnos del año 12 y 13  a partir del próximo año: Tabletas. El Ministro de Educación Dr. Mahendra Reddy dijo que su ministerio introducira el uso de Tabletas para reemplazar los libros de texto «grandes»  llevadas por los estudiantes a la escuela. Esta nueva herramienta de educación es al parecer parte del programa de alfabetización digital del ministerio, lo que permitiría a los estudiantes el acceso a las noticias en todo el mundo y materiales educativos en Internet, el Dr. Reddy añadió. El ministerio cargara todo el material didáctico en las tabletas y el costo total del proyecto sería de alrededor de $ 250.000. Dijo que mientras que las tabletas se otorga a estudiantes acceso a la Internet, algunos sitios web que tendrían impactos negativos serían bloqueadas.

PLAGUED with challenges of printing textbooks last year, the Ministry of Education has an alternative for Year 12 and 13 students from next year — tablets.

Education Minister Dr Mahendra Reddy said his ministry would introduce the use of tablets to replace the «big textbooks» students carried to school.

This new education tool is apparently part of the ministry’s digital literacy program, which would allow students access to news around the world and educational materials on the internet, Dr Reddy added.

The ministry will load all learning materials in the tablets and the total project cost would be about $250,000.

He said while the tablets would give students access to the internet, certain websites that would have negative impacts would be blocked off.

Dr Reddy said the ministry was still in talks with information technology (IT) experts on how to block websites that would have a negative impact on the children.

He said they were also in talks with IT experts to ensure that the blocked websites were not in any way unlocked.

«We cannot ignore the various developments in the IT sector otherwise we will become irrelevant and we do not want our children to be irrelevant and therefore, we will look at how we can develop from the IT,» Dr Reddy said.

He said the ministry was also looking at ways of providing data for the tablets, however, once implemented, parents would also be able to top-up the data on their children’s tablets.

Dr Reddy said the accessibility and use of the tablet should not be a problem as about 90 per cent had access to electricity.

He said students who were out of network coverage areas would not have problems as their devices would be preinstalled and programmed with textbooks, exam papers and solutions.

But Dr Reddy said students would have to replace the tablets if they were damaged.

National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad said after the one laptop per child policy to the one learning device per child, the ministry now wanted to introduce tablets.

«A few days ago, the minister announced that school texts will now be available on mobile technology in the near future, replacing textbooks.

«And the minister chose the launch of National Library Week to make this announcement.

«This means that the minister doesn’t believe in books and libraries.»

Opposition spokesman for education, Mikaele Leawere, aired serious concern over the announcement as well.

He said the Government should focus on reconstructing cyclone-affected schools instead of introducing tablets.

Fuente: http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=369864