05 March 2020
By the year 2028, all secondary school students will have their own digital device, such as an iPad, as part of a national digital literacy programme.
Education Minister Ong Ye Kung said that schools will start implementing this from June this year. Some schools have even begun early. For example, Orchid Park Secondary School has been piloting the use of personal learning devices with its Secondary 1 students from last year.
Mr Ong said schools can choose a device from a given list, which students will have to purchase. But there will be an Edusave top-up of $200 for all students this year to support the purchase. Bulk tenders will be used to lower the price further. But students from lower-income households will get further subsidies to ensure that their out-of-pocket cost is zero dollars.
There are ways to control students’ usage and screen time. For one, students are blocked from downloading certain gaming apps or accessing similar websites. The devices can also be programmed to be turned off after 12am to prevent late-night usage, for example.