Singapore, being a highly developed nation, has one of the highest technological penetrations in the world and a growing reliance on the usage of technology. This has caused certain groups of people which are unable to attain access to technology to lose out in society. An example of this includes students from low income families. According to a survey done by the IDA in 2013, 13% of households still do not have internet access at home. Out of the 13%, 9% said that this was because they could not afford it. This poses as a problem to students from these families due to the increase in use of technology in our education system. With the implementation of the "Masterplan" initiative (since 1997), the use of ICT was encouraged in schools to reap the benefits of digital learning. However, this causes the students from lower income families to be disadvantaged in using these resources and getting the best our of their education. This essay thus seeks to address this problem and evaluate the various solutions offered by the government and IDA.
The "Masterplan" initiative allows students computer usage for 30% of their curriculum time in fully networked schools. Teachers are also motivated to use ICT effectively in their teaching and learning. Many schools have thus incorporated web assignments and web portals into the curriculum. E-discussion forums have become pervasive and digital textbooks have replaced hard-copy journals or notes. This severely disadvantages students who do not have the means or capability to access the internet, as they lose out on these networks to attain information. Furthermore, they might only be able to complete their online assignments in school, leaving them restricted by constraints. Also, in accordance to the MOE guidelines, schools have started incorporating several "e-learning" days in the year, where lessons are conducted over the internet on the home computer. The running of such programmes was further encouraged after the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 as a precautionary practice should schools be cancelled in the case of another epidemic. Students who do not have internet access at home would thus run into problems and be unable to do their e-learning, and have to seek other alternatives (such as using public networks, or going back to school which ultimately defeats the purpose of the program).
The government recognises this ongoing problem and have worked with the IDA to come up with various solutions. To resolve the issue, the Digital Inclusion Fund has been set up, where $10million was set aside to attempt to bridge the digital divide in Singpore, including those between low and high income families. This fund will be used to increase public access to IT which is achieved through community centers, the private sector, libraries, LAN centers, and other self help groups, etc., with a total of more than 10,000 PCs available for public use. Free broadband access will also be made available at community centres and clubs. Part of the fund will be also used for the implementation of various programmes or subsidies, such as in the NEU PC Plus Programme and PC Re-use Scheme, which will be further elaborated and evaluated below.
The first solution IDA has come up with is the NEU PC Plus programme. It offers students from households with a gross monthly income of less than $2,700 the opportunity to own a new computer at a discount of up to 75 per cent, making it a lot more affordable. It has benefited close to 37,000 homes with school-going children since its launch in 1999. However, the program is limited in a sense that it can only be used on Singtel and M1’s mobile broadband services that offers a surfing speed of only 1Mbps. This limits its usage significantly as users are only able to browse a limited number of websites. Sites that are graphics-heavy or have high security software would pose as a problem to these users. Thus, students might not be able to load sites like The Straits Times, BBC, or The New York Times and have difficulty enter a school’s secure portal to download assignments, which does not reduce much of their disadvantage.
Another solution being adopted is the PC Re-use Scheme. It involves garnering used and unwanted PCs from government departments, private sectors and members of the public. They will be refurbished and distributed to the needy families as well as non-profit organisations such as halfway houses and voluntary welfare centres. To date, more than 1300 refurbished PCs have been donated. However, older computers usually have older and slower systems which might not be able to support newer, more updated software programs. For example, certain specialised programs used in tertiary courses can only run on a MacBook with Apple software. These older unwanted computers thus become redundant when the student is still unable to use it for their school work. Also, a slower system that takes a long time to load reduces productivity and limits the ability of students to access networks.
In conclusion, the problem of digital divide between low-income students and other students is still observed. However, there is recognition of this issue and efforts have been made to improve the problem. This includes setting aside funds and subsidies, and implementation of various schemes such as the NEU PC Plus Programme and PC Re-use Scheme. Although the effectiveness of these solutions are still being questioned, it is an issue that cannot be addressed overnight, since the government and IDA are still limited by both social and financial constraints.
References:
Factsheet: Digital Inclusion Fund (September 2014) Retrived at: https://www.ida.gov.sg/~/media/Files/About%20Us/Newsroom/Media%20Releases/2014/0928_SID2014/Annex2_MediaFactsheet_DigitalInclusionFund.pdf
C.M. Rubin (28 October 2013). The Global Search for Education: Got Tech? - Singapore. Retrieved at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/c-m-rubin/the-global-search-for-edu_b_4171890.html. [Last Accessed 8 Oct 2014].
Irene Tham (17 March 2014). Bridging The Digital Divide. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/case-you-missed-it/story/bridging-the-digital-divide-20140317. [Last Accessed 8 Oct 2014].
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