The education system has yet to find the right balance between technology and traditional learning methods as it prepares for the future, Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman has acknowledged.
But he said the ministry was not yet ready to settle on a single approach to using electronic devices in education and was working with the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology to determine what would work best here – even as he noted a negative impact of heavy screen use on learning.
“We’re seeing a cognitive decrease in the ability of our students because of the overexposure to technology,” he told a church service on Monday to launch Education Month. “Am I saying we’re not going to use technology? No, I’m not saying that. But we have to now find the best fit for technological use, using the ‘writing on paper’, textbooks and reading.”
He told the congregation at the Abundant Life Assembly that while students must be prepared to navigate and master technology, the education ministry was also examining the impact of excessive device exposure and how best to balance it with traditional methods such as writing, textbooks, and reading.
Research from several countries had highlighted the importance of maintaining that balance, he added.
“Particularly in a number of countries in Asia, Europe and Africa, you need to have a balance in ensuring that students can write because there’s something that happens in the mind and the brain when you write on a piece of paper… teachers in the system can tell you that is something that is proven.”
He continued: “Students are still going into a world and live in a world that requires us to navigate and master the use of technology and its application, and therefore the ministry is committed, particularly also working with the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, and Minister Reid has committed to work with us to find the best fit balance for Barbados, and the international community is looking to see what Barbados is going to land and settle on so as to be able to use it as a model for the rest of the region and, by extension, the world.”
Barbados should not simply follow international trends but should use data and evidence to determine its approach, the education minister declared.
He said the issue was particularly important as the ministry works to improve literacy and numeracy across the education system.
The Ministry of Education Transformation has unveiled a suite of technology-driven solutions in a bid to improve reading ability in primary schools but the minister appeared to blame overexposure prior to pupils entering school.
“Part of it has been the over-exposure of our young babies and children to tablets at a very young age. It’s something that we have to now look at.”
Blackman also pointed to concerns raised at a recent regional conference about declining literacy rates, saying children’s early exposure to technology needed greater attention.
Barbados had an opportunity to develop an approach that could ultimately serve as a model for other countries, he suggested.
“We have to be bold enough to not just [import] that [because] country X is doing it or Y countries do. Remember, Barbados is a… world leader, and therefore our education system has also produced people who are confident enough to say, ‘Hey, this is what’s working. This is not what’s working,’ and that is okay for people based on the data and evidence.”
Excessive screen use in babies and toddlers has long been linked to language delays, reduced social-emotional skills, and disrupted sleep.
The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends avoiding digital screens entirely for a baby’s first 18 to 24 months of life, except for live video chatting with family.
Routine screen time should be limited to one hour or less per day of high-quality, age-appropriate content for preschoolers ages two to five, according to the Canadian Paedriatric Academy. It has urged parents to avoid fast-paced shows, violent content, and unmonitored solo use.
(LG)
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