THE vast sums governments spend buying computers for schools might be better spent on hiring more teachers and buying more books.
That鈥檚 the conclusion of Thomas Fuchs and his team at the Ifo Institute for Economic Affairs in Munich, Germany, who looked at the academic results of 100,000 15-year-olds in 32 countries. Frequent use of computers makes 鈥渘o discernable difference鈥� to students鈥� academic performance, Fuchs told a meeting of the Royal Economic Society in Nottingham, UK, this week. The team suggests that computers may be displacing more effective chalk-and-talk teaching methods, and using up cash better spent on books or teacher training.
鈥淔requent use of computers makes no difference to students鈥� performance鈥�
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However, Olive Forsythe, a spokeswoman for the UK鈥檚 National Union of Teachers, doubts the finding. 鈥淔or instance, the teacher-controlled interactive whiteboards that are being introduced are proving to have enormous teaching benefits,鈥� she says. In a statement, the UK鈥檚 Department for Education and Skills said, 鈥淚t is the way IT is used which makes the difference, not its mere availability.鈥�
