The Education Ministry is set to dust off a programme carried out by a previous Pheu Thai government a decade ago to provide students and teachers nationwide with a tablet computer each to promote equal opportunity in education.
The plan was one of several announced yesterday by Education Minister Permpoon Chidchob and his deputy Surasak Phancharoenworakul, both from the Bhumjaithai Party in the Pheu Thai-led coalition.
At a meeting of ministry officials, the ministers said their goal was to promote "good learning, with happiness".
Pol Gen Permpoon said every student would be provided with a tablet computer so as to cut their expenses and reduce disparities in opportunities for education under the "one student, one tablet" platform.
He said he was still reviewing how much the programme would cost, adding that if the existing budget was insufficient, tablets could be acquired through borrowing or renting.
However, Suchatvee Suwansawat, a former Democrat Party MP, told the Bangkok Post that while he agrees with using modern technologies to aid the learning process to reduce inequality in education, he still has reservations about the programme.
The Education Ministry should not provide the tablets to school children who are very young as it is more important they first learn to interact and socialise, said Mr Suchatvee, a former rector of the King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang.
"The tablet computers will pull them away from their friends," he said, adding the ministry should buy tablets with software adaptable to future technologies so to lessen the burden on taxpayers.
"A study shows children who are glued to tablets or computer screens suffer attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and can show violent emotions. In cases like this, schools need to bring in psychologists to provide counselling," Mr Suchatvee said.
"The government should not rush to give tablets to children unless there are adequate measures in place to deal with these types of problems," he said.
Sirikanya Tansakun, deputy leader of the opposition Move Forward Party, agreed that technological devices will help improve the learning process, but teachers must also acquire the proper skills to use them.
"Do teachers have the skills to use tablets? Have preparations been made for them? Problems may arise if the focus is on equipment rather than the quality of content," she said.
She also said the procurement of tablet computers must be carried out carefully and transparently to ensure the devices meet quality standards.
"A misstep will not only affect children's learning process, but we will also end up with electronic waste," Ms Sirikanya said. She said the budget should be equally and evenly distributed to schools nationwide to promote equality in education.
The "one student, one tablet" programme was first carried out by the government of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in 2011. Distribution of tablets to 860,000 Prathom 1 (Grade 1) students began in mid-2012 with a budget of over 2 billion baht.
At the time, there was considerable scepticism about the cost and practicality of the programme.
A survey conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) after the programme's first year identified some problems, including faulty devices, anti-social behaviour and deteriorating handwriting skills. However, the NSO survey also reported that teachers found the tablets especially effective in improving language skills in both English and Thai.
