REPLACING TEXT BOOKS WITH TABLETS

The Government of Grenada has decided to phase out the free school program on the island.  Students will  use computers in  classrooms in about two years time. This book program was implemented by the NDC when the party took up office in July,  2008. 

While the intent can lead to radical and beneficial changes to our current education system, true revolution in education depends on the mind set of the masses and commitment from our leaders that is not intended to fool the public,so that political gains can be achieved.

Having TABLETS in our schools is not a bad idea, but the question is; Are we as a small emerging and struggling economy ready for this type of  DELIVERY to our students? Before a government embarks on major changes in a state, the culture, customs and experiences of the people must first be taken into account.  In industrialized countries, many school have replaced text books with laptops, but in these societies, children do not have to go through the though  challenges to get in and out of school.  Most of these children have parents who drive them to and from school or they would take the school bus that would pick them up and drop them of near their homes.  This is a great contrast to our children who are allowed to play and have adventures after school as they wish.  

So the questions are;Will the laptops or tablets remain in schools at all times? How will homework be done?Who will compensate the government in case of theft of damage?

The prime minister in his budget presentation on Tuesday,16th April, 2013, informed the public that text will phased out to reduce costs but this is not an accurate statement.  If the text books are phased out E-books will have to be installed on the computers at a cost.  The government does own the copyright to these books.  Millions of dollars would still have to be spent on purchasing the tablets.

We should be mindful of our population,their reasoning ability and educational attainment.  When some of our citizens hear talk about phasing out of text books, they might think that electronic gadgets are the only way forward.  Some people might begin to develop dislike for printed material.  Just imagine what would happen to our good old libraries.  It is impossible to do all teaching and learning in schools without going back to paper.  Not every piece of literature is available online.

The TABLET situation or proposal is laughable.  Even the blind can see that this is just a political tool designed to fool the "weak" and as a result gain mileage.

As it stands now our children are full of excitement. They are patiently waiting for their tablets and they are dreaming about games and other online activities.

There is good old saying, "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time".  This TABLET promise is a smoke screen designed to "hoodwink" the Grenadian youths so that they would vote for the NNP whenever the next general election is held, but our youths are very intelligent an a tablet will not be able to sway their choices or actions.

The prime minister is presenting himself as a political God; a "SAVIOR".

We should realize that Grenadians are constantly being bombarded by attractive lies and false promises and sometimes many of us are fooled.  As a people we should set high standards, our conscience should not be sold to the highest bidder.  We should not "limbo" to any low political bar.  Our people should always remember this old saying,"you fool us once,shame on you, you fool us twice shame on us".  

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