Gov’t express confidence in Tablets in Schools Programme

The Jamaican Government says it has taken note of concerns raised by the Auditor-General about the future viability of  the Tablets in Schools programme, but has vowed to proceed with full implementation of the initiative.

According to Julian Robinson, Minister of State for Technology,  the pilot project is under constant review and deficiencies will be addressed.

Mr. Robinson was responding, in part, to recent comments by the Auditor-General, to the effect that the Tablets in Schools programme could be in doubt, due to the absence of  a feasibility study, and challenges which faced similar projects in other countries.

Mr. Robinson told RJR News that the Government is confident the project is on a strong footing, and that the tablets "will facilitate creativity and innovation."

Regarding the track record of similar programmes, world-wide, he acknowledged that it was "very difficult to use academic output as a measure of success" for the introduction such technology projects.

Accordingly, he said, the Government had "tempered our expectations" for initial improvements in academic output.

Nevertheless, he said the Administration remains convinced that the project is viable.

Concerning the cost to students, he said the Government was "examaning all the options to make it as affordable as is possible," adding that the State was "generally cognisant of the economic challenges that face parents."

Against that background, he said efforts were being made to "source tablets at the most economic cost to facilitate this cost sharing."