Elite private schools have told parents that their children will require iPads

Kingsmead Girls’ College sent a letter to parents informing them that iPad 2 tablets would be used for teaching Grades Six and Eight from July.

Saheti, in Bedfordview, and King David, in Linksfield, are also using the tablets.    

Use of the high-tech gadgets — which cost R5,000 each — in elite schools was in stark contrast to many government schools where simple teaching support material was often hard to come by.    

Education psychologist Melanie Hartgill said the move would increase the information divide between rich and poor schools.   

“The rapid adoption of [information technology] infrastructure at private schools is widening the gap between the haves and have-nots.”  

One disadvantage of tablet teaching was that listening skills could be under developed.

IT expert Arthur Goldstuck said an advantage of the technology was that children with handwriting problems were able to keep up with the class through typing.    

Director of electronic education for the education department, Phil Mnisi, said a white paper was produced for the introduction of  internet connectivity to schools.    

At present only 23% of schools had internet access.    

Equal Education spokesman Doram Isaacs said 3,600 schools did not  even have electricity, and it would be decades before South African  schools caught up with present technology.    

He said poor schools should still be experimenting with technology such as tablet education.