Accessing text books will soon be made easier for students with the introduction of electronic tablets in schools next year.

Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts, Mahendra Reddy, announced this in Suva yesterday.

He said they wanted to develop global citizens where students had access to global news and what was happening around them.

He said that all education material would be available on this internet platform.

“They won’t be carrying hard copies of their textbooks around with them, so what we are looking at is pretty much of the children that will have access to electricity.

“We can start from year 12 and 13 next year but that depends on certain process we have to follow and that is what we are looking at so that our children have full information about the Fiji, region and the world,” Mr Reddy said.

He said it was cost effective for the ministry and they were looking at exploring opportunities at the moment with the overall digital literacy in Fiji.

Mr Reddy said it would start with Year 12 and 13 students which cost around quarter of a million dollars. However, they would also aim for Year 9 students.

He said the basic data megabyte would be accessed by the students when they were handed the gadget.

“Basic data for them and they get top up, addition to that their parent can top up too,” Mr Reddy said.

He said they aimed at setting a mechanism where certain sites were blocked that would have a negative impact on education.

Mr Reddy said study notes and other learning material would be uploaded on the gadgets which students could access even if they were on school holidays.

“We will upload the basic sets of materials, the text books, the exam papers and the solutions,” he said.

Mr Reddy said students would have to replace the gadgets if they damaged them.

Edited by Nemani Delaibatiki

Feedback:  arieta.vakasukawaqa@fijisun.com.fj