Scottish trade group calls for tablets to improve education equality

ScotlandIS, a trade body for Scotland's IT industry, has called on the country's government and education community to introduce tablet computers to the school system in order to bridge the gap between poor and affluent students, British newspaper the Scotsman reports.

Polly Purvis, ScotlandIS executive director, recommends rolling out educational tablet plans gradually, perhaps asking parents to contribute to cut down the financial burden on the schools and the government. The trade group also suggests purchasing low-cost tablets priced around $95.

"We don’t want young people to become disadvantaged in any way," Purvis says, according to the Scotsman. "There are currently subjects like home economics where parents are asked to contribute towards the cost of materials. In many cases parents would need to contribute where they could."

The idea of putting tablets into the hands of schoolchildren has been growing in the world. Several school districts around the United States have already introduced the technology to the classroom, and government members in Thailand and Turkey have suggested similar plans on a national level.

Implementing tablets in the classroom can have several advantages. In addition to providing a new tool for gathering and researching information, the technology can be used to engage students and foster class participation.