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Computer Instead Book – Ticket for Future or Infernal Experiment?

April 12, 2010

Ana Sheshaberidze

On April 6, the president Saakashvili informed the government members about the reforms planned in the educational system during their session in Kutaisi. He assessed the reform as Computer and Linguistic Revolution. “Computers instead Books,” this is the new initiative of the president.

At the session, the president introduced XO laptop which will replace text-books only for the pupils of the first form so far. In May, entire tuition program will be installed in the laptops and pupils will learn reading and writing from computers instead ordinary text-books.

According to the president, overall computerization is “historical issue” and it will really be “ticket for future for the new generation.”  He said the computers will be distributed in large cities, tourist zones and IDP settlements: the selected cities are Batumi, Zugdidi, Kutaisi, Mestia and Tbilisi. Computers will be distributed within the program “President’s Gift”.

“Next year, most modern computers will replace books– they do not sink in water and they do not break even if you drop it… these computers are specially for our children; among them for those who cannot read and write yet. The computer is operated with symbols,” said Mikheil Saakashvili.

Head of the Book Workshop and publisher Mamuka Khantadze assessed the initiative of the president negatively. He said the computers will have negative impact on children’s psychic. He said, it was approved long before that child shall learn from book. He spoke about other advantages of the book as well and said that in the book the material is better explained.

Mamuka Khantadze: “Creation of text-books is a complicated process; people of different professions are involved in it. They are teachers, psychologists, sociologists. There are a lot of works written on the issue which describe how texts books for the first form shall be created. We should not insist that pupils of the first grade shall learn from computers. What shall it change? If a pupil cannot learn from book, he will not be able to learn from computer either. It is not new invention. A similar prompt decision is infernal experiment on the child’s psychic. It was approved long before that a child shall learn from books. He accustoms working with the book from the very childhood. Computer, video-projector, DVD, Radio, television, internet – can be used during tuition process as additional tools; but child cannot learn only from computer; and furthermore, he cannot learn entire tuition program only from computer. I have never seen similar method anywhere else.”

Mamuka Khantadze is not the only person who opposes the idea. Member of the Republic Party Davit Zurabishvili hopes this initiative will not realized like many others. But, if it does, it will not have normal impact.

Davit Zurabishvili: “Serious discussion on this initiative is impossible. I have never heard before about a pupil of the first form to learn reading and writing from computer. I hope, this initiative will not be realized. Members of the National Movement often have similar ideas but they gradually fade away. Now, I hope, the same will happen; but if it is realized, everybody will see that it is nonsense and it will not have normal result. Nobody has ever thought of it in developed states; computer and book have their own places. Maybe, they think, if a child will have a small laptop and will be able to tap on the keyboard, everything will be ok.”

The computers, where the books will be installed, were produced by the non-commercial organization One Laptop per Child. The price of the computer is 80-100 USD. They are used as educational computers in the following states: America, Camboja, Costa-Rica, Venezuela, Pakistan… if Saakashvili’s idea is realized, from September of 2010, Georgian pupils of the first form will also learn from computers.

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