Practical Problems in the Implementation of ICT in Primary Education
1. Fewer Numbers of Working Computer
Most schools do not have enough number of working computers. The computer subject is just on a timetable because student and computer ratio is really worse. Most of the computers have not been updated according to curriculum and software requirements. Internet connectivity is also not available in most of the primary schools.
2. Budget Related Problems
Today, students have better computers at their home, so they don’t interest in working on slow computers. In most of the primary schools, computers and their hardware is substandard or maintained less frequently. Many primary schools are carefully assigning a proper budget for a computer, equipment, and annual maintenance, but some schools are managing all of the papers only.
3. Internet Network & Connectivity
Networking and internet access is another immense trouble. I believe most of the schools are unable to give internet access to the entire class. Walk into a few of your nearby primary schools and ask to connect to the internet or Wi-Fi, and the computer teacher will give an excuse for disconnection.
4. Internet Security and Safety
If we talk about e-safety, several schools are enabled with smart firewalls to filter objectionable content. By default most widely used thing like email and social media is blocked. Some of the schools are reasonable and have unblocked nominated contacts to grant access to receive an email, social communication, and playing games with family and friends. With the method, most of the educational websites enabled with social elements get blocked automatically. I admit e-safety is important, and students should stay safe. But students should be in the role of consumers and producers of internet content. Sometimes e-safety becomes an obstacle in ICT learning. How can students learn the internet if half of it is absent? Most of the time, parents and teachers talk about the internet as a threat but think about our future if we bore our children with this cliché.
5. Incomplete Training
In training, ICT coordinators hardly mention anything except online safety and other subject’s internet resources. We teach our kids as per the timetable. They usually play online games while tying up their work. They are less able to understand how computer works and the creation of online content.
How to Implement ICT in Primary Education
This is when we have to plan how to change present computer education at the primary level. I know it can’t help anyway, so what are the solutions to these present problems?
