Laptops for all children?
At some point the Assembly Government will introduce a pilot laptop scheme for all children, and whilst a free for all seems a bit daft and lacking in focus, there is one idea I would put to them as a way of maximising this scheme.
Giving out laptops to children is not a new idea, it is happening elsewhere in the world such as Uruguay and Portugal. The big difference is that the project is targeted towards children in deprived areas where there is a need to provide better access to educational resources and eventually help lift them out of poverty. In Uruguay there has been a reduction in truancy and has helped those with learning difficulties who are traditionally the hardest to reach. Whilst in Portugal the government has been offering free laptops for the poorest households and subsidised for those with a bit more money. In both countries the software has included packages in English, Maths, Science and basic language skills, and geared towards addressing subject deficiencies.
A few weeks ago I suggested that the Assembly Government’s Communities First programme could be reformed to be more focused to start delivering the improvements that people need. It has been too broad in its approach, attempting to tackle everything and proving too difficult to measure. It is now subject to an investigation by the Assembly’s Audit Committee which I chair.
Having studied the scheme it would make perfect sense for monies to be targeted at children in our poorest communities where raising educational achievement will help with standards in our schools and provide a much needed economic lift. Laptops for these children with the right software and connectivity at home, together with training and resources for teachers, could make a substantial difference.
I would urge the Assembly Government to look at the schemes operating elsewhere and use the money in a more direct way.
October 21st, 2009 at 11:51 am
I think the CF programme needs a complete revamp. It was ruined by Edwina Hart as usual not listening to good advice on the way to roll it out and has never got back on track
I agree about giving lap tops to those who would benefit most, however it would also need some parental education to understand the need for a more “learning ” environment for their children. This is not always the case in some homes. Children need aids to learn, but they also need a space, time and quiet to do so too.
Targeting CF money to most need would be great and may be more of it would reach the end users and not get slurped up in admin and overheads
October 21st, 2009 at 1:56 pm
As I’ve written on Syniadau, Jonathan, I’m rather sad that we in Wales are only going to get a pilot rather than roll out a full scheme. But in response to what you’ve written, I would focus on one thing.
The indispensible part of the scheme is that every child (in any year group) must have a laptop for it to work. If you target resources on just the poorest, you might well increase the number of children who have laptops, but that is not the same thing as making sure that every child has one. It is probably also important that every child has the same equipment, since different types of machines and operating systems all work differently.
Universal entitlement is the key. If you start means testing which parents can or cannot afford to pay you introduce an unnecessary layer with an unnecessary cost. Better that every child gets exactly the same, irrespective of wealth.
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But turning to the specifics of the pilot scheme, it is obviously right that we pilot it in more deprived areas. This announcement says that the Welsh government:
“will focus on final year pupils in primary schools from the Flying Start and/or Communities First areas.”
That’s a no-brainer, of course. I’m only sad that it has taken this long to get round to thinking about it (the pilot areas have still not been identified) when we could already be doing it.
October 24th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Hmm. Not convinced that laptops for children is even remotely right. Over the years, since PCs became more and more common, what have we seen? In tandem, a rapid fall in grammar, spelling and mathematical standards, plus a rapid replacement of research with Google.
Teaching aids – or teachers’ crutches?
Take laptops out of schools, and make teachers teach again. When children have learned how to spell, how to conduct research, how maths works – then let them have laptops.