More studies needed on ICT: Education expert

Yesterday in Pretoria President Jacob Zuma launched the ICT under Operation Phakisa aimed at enhancing the country's standard of basic education through the integration of ICT, with Maths and Science categorised as priority areas.

The University of Pretoria's Professor Kobus Maree says last week the European Union's Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released a study saying that school technologies across the world raised too many false hopes.

Maree says the education dynamics in SA which include impoverished schools in rural areas should have been taken into consideration.

"There are a number of findings which I think South Africa should note as a matter of extreme urgency. Firstly, students who use computers at school very frequently get worse results", he said.

"Students who use computers moderately have done somewhat better", Maree said.

"The results also show no appreciable results in reading, maths and science in countries that had invested heavily in information techonology", he said.

(File photo)