In a “One Tablet Per Child” scheme, Thailand plans to spend US $110 million in order to distribute 1.2 million tablet computers to students around the country. The plan was part of the government’s election campaign in 2011. It aims to bridge the gap between rich and poor students.
About 850,000 Chinese-made tablets have already been distributed. The government is working with two firms to supply the tablets. One is the Chinese firm Shenzen Yitoa Intelligent, the second a local Thai firm, Supreme Distribution. The Chinese firm will supply 800,000 tablets to first graders, while the local company will provide more than 725,000 to seventh graders. The goal is to equip 13 million students by the end of next year.
Some claim that the scheme is an artifice by the ruling party to increase its popularity among parents and the next generation of voters. Supporters, however, say the use of technology in the classroom will boost the standards of education in a country that ranks 50 out of 65 for reading, math and science.
Ninety students received tablets last year at Ban San Kong school in Mae Chan in the northern province of Chiang Rai. The school had previously only owned a few desktop computers and had limited Internet access. Now, for an hour a day, students complete activities such as singing English songs and playing math games. For these students, the progress is helpful, as most of the population comes from hill tribes whose mother tongue is not Thai.
Education experts still warn that computers do not guarantee an increase in education standards. An education technology specialist of UNESCO, Jonghwi Park, stated that tablets are “just another tool,” and that, “It’s not what to use, it’s about how to use it.”
Creative Commons Love: ebayink on Flickr.com
Written by Nina Thurau