Computer Tablets in Schools Initiative

So it was brought to the attention of the public by The Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Phillip Paulwell, that soon the Government of Jamaica will be distributing thousands of tablet computers to 30 institutions across the island. The School Tablet Computer Programme is said to be an initiative where every single student and teacher of the selected institutions will be equipped with a tablet computer free of cost. The overall aim behind the initiative is to change the approach of education in Jamaica through the use of technology, with the hope of improving under-performance and reducing expenses in many of our schools.

This move by our Government is an admirable one in regards to their move to put Jamaica on a technologically competitive edge with the rest of the world. But how prepared are we to effectively oversee and manage this initiative to reap the benefits of this costly investment?

Tablet computers in today’s society are becoming highly commonplace especially within the education sector. However it should be noted that this tool of advanced innovation and learning is also known for its ability to be, in essence, a glorified toy. Where various applications in the forms of games and social media have been found to be not only highly addictive but brings with it counter productivity.

The Minister had mentioned that the tablets were to be equipped with security features to enable tracking should the tablets be stolen or misplaced and equipped with special software that would be pre-installed to block harmful and dangerous content. While securing and restricting harmful content on these tablets are extremely important, the point has to be highlighted by the Minister on how and what other measures are to be put in place to ensure that the objectives of  improving under-performance and reducing school expenses will be met. For at the end of the day if these tablets are not utilised for their intended purposes it will just be another wasted Government effort and a waste precious tax payer’s money.