ablet PC plan under fire again
Published: 9/01/2012 at 12:00 AMNewspaper section: News
The government's controversial "One Tablet PC Per Child" policy is being piloted in five schools despite a study suggesting it could have negative impacts on the recipients.
Woravat: Handed out 600 tablet PCs
The government had decided the device will be distributed as promised, regardless of the results of the study, said Amnuay Sunthornchot, head of the Khaniyom Pheu Srang (values for building the nation) Chat Club.
He opposes distribution of the device to Pathom 1 (Grade 1) students, as he believes the children will probably use it for entertainment purposes rather than to aid their studies.
Education Minister Woravat Au-apinyakul handed out 600 tablet PCs to about 500 Prathom 1 and 4 students in five pilot schools to study the potential impacts of the devices on pupils.
The five schools chosen for the pilot are Rachawinit School in Bangkok, Anuban Lampang School in Lampang, Anuban Phangnga School in Phangnga, Sanambin School in Khon Kaen and Srinakharinwirot University Prasarnmit Demonstration School in Bangkok.
Srinakharinwirot University has been conducting a study of the pilot scheme.
"The study has no benefit," Mr Amnuay said.
"If the study finds the project has a negative impact on students, what will the government do next?" he asked.
The government had said the project would go ahead anyway, so the study was a farce, he said, adding the pilot schools should have been selected from different environments so as to get an idea of the impacts across a cross-section of society, but all five pilot schools are located in urban areas.
Khaniyom Pheu Srang Chat Club also conducted a survey on the tablet policy, seeking the views of 407 parents, teachers, Chulalongkorn University students and pupils from Triam Udom Suksa School and Triam Udom Suksa Pattanakarn School in Bangkok and Benchamarat Rangsarit School in Chachoengsao.
It found that 94.1% disagreed with distributing tablet PCs to Prathom 1 pupils because of their very young age.
Surveying the students' computer-use behaviour, 74.9% of all computer time use was found to be for entertainment purposes and only 25.1% for learning.
"They mostly use a computer for visiting Facebook and playing the Angry Birds game," he said.
But Mr Woravat is insisting the project will go ahead, saying the first batch will be given out in the next academic year.
There are more than 800,000 Pathom 1 students across the country but the first batch of tablet devices will go to about 470,000 students.
Of them, 345,000 pupils are under the Office of Basic Education Commission and 125,000 belong to the Office of Private Education Commission.
Chanwit Tabsuphan, secretary-general of Opec, said that 125,394 out of a total 175,000 Pathom 1 students in private schools will be given the device in the next academic year.
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