Laptops finally given to schools

THE EDITOR: The Education Ministry has finally started distribution of laptops to more than 150 public and private secondary schools across the country. The long-awaited laptops will not be given to students to take home for personal use but will remain in the schools to be used by teachers and students during classes.

I agree with the Ministry’s decision to keep the laptops in the schools because under the previous system of distribution many of the laptops were used by students for the wrong reasons while many were destroyed due to bad handling and accidental damage. Many of those damaged laptops were never repaired and returned to the students making it a wasteful investment by the former government.

I read more than 13,000 laptops will be distributed and some schools have received more than 100 laptops. This is a very significant investment by government for students to become involved in information technology in schools in this time of scarce financial resources.

I hope principals will place great value on the efforts by the Education Ministry to secure the funds to purchase these laptops and teachers and students will make full use of the laptops for the implementation of the curriculum.

Aaron Price, Rio Claro