When digital textbooks will replace existing textbooks and move from textbooks to tablets - MP asked a question to the Minister of Education and Science
Ruling Republican Party of Armenia MP Arman Saghatelyan, weighed 15-20 different age groups of his and her friends school bags and revealed that at 12-year-old child's school bag weighs 5 kg 200 grams.
“To make it more visible, let me tell you what weight is it for sixth grade child, say, exactly, it has the same weight as AKS 747machine gun with a fully charged bullets., which is 5.2kg, a 40mm "RP" grenade mounted on it, and inside it,” MP presented the results of his study during NA-Government questionnaire.
In addition, MP studied the school bags average price in the market and found out that they are not adapted to symmetrically distribute the load from the shoulder to the hip bone. He also mentioned that he examined data according to which children spend up to 6 hours in front of computers and tablets.
MP Arman Sagahatelyan asked the government when the textbooks will be finally digitized, and move from textbooks to tablets.
Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan in response to a question said, that moving to electronic education is expensive and can be a "serious burden" on the budget.
“We are negotiating with private investors. We will try in the near future, when in schools begin subject branching from sixth grade to ninth grade, to introduce tablet system. We have initial agreement with Samsung Company and they are ready to give those tablets in cheap price. But realizing this project we need investors,” reacted Mkrtchyan.
As to electronic textbooks, according to Mkrthcyan, this has already been created.
‘’We have a project, if we can step by step do the technical part, then under the current library situation, children can leave textbooks at home and go to school with tablets,” added Mkrtchyan.
MP raises a concern how equipped are laboratories related to the study of natural sciences.
‘Today’s virtual laboratories have great programs for physics, biology, chemistry, and so on. Economic investments in this sphere are more justified than printing books constantly, renovating property, etc., " Saghatelyan added.
In response, Minister Mkrtchyan said that according to experts, the traditional books, notebooks and laboratories are needed.
Minister raised another question. “Our children are overwhelmed compared with the same age group of European children. If they have, for instance, 15-16 subject weekly, in our country it reaches up to 20. The main issue is school curriculum unloading project and in near future this unloading must be realized.’’