Dear Editor,
Let me start by saying that the Ministry of Education (MoE) seems to be one of the ministries that is really trying. However, the recent launch of the EDpal App requires some comments.
Firstly, why is the MoE in the business of making Apps? Did parents or teachers report a shortage of educational apps? I am literally overwhelmed by the amount of information including Apps that are available for children some free of cost and others at varying costs. Maybe the solution is to teach both teachers and students how to use open-source Apps and other educational resources on the internet. In any case this should be a standard research practice that children should be exposed to early as possible.
Was an evaluation of The Learning Channel ever done? My 7-year-old and his peers find it boring and can find much more interesting up-to-date learning videos on YouTube.
Other developed countries that have much better technical and academic capacity do not make Apps but leave that to private and not-for-profit educational experts. For example, IXL (IXL.com) a learning programme, is subscribed to by public and private schools around the world including the US, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Spain, France, India, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Wouldn’t it have been better for the MOE to subscribe to one of these paid educational Apps and give our children access to it?
If one has ever used one of these free and or paid Apps, and my family has for the last 15 years, the content, graphics, and interface is par none. In addition, whilst they do specialize for specific countries when the Ministry of Education pays for it, the thrust is a global education. A 7-year-old learns about the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or the coral reefs of Montego Bay, Jamaica whilst counting fishes as part of a math lesson. Our children need a global education.
The MoE needs to rethink its approach to creating content.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address supplied)
