Senator Joseph welcomes revived E-book, warns of repeating past mistakes

Senator Jonathan Joseph has shared his thoughts on the government’s e-book initiative for schools, describing it as a promising step forward for education but cautioning against repeating past mistakes.

Speaking during the Appropriation Bill debate, he called on officials to ensure the program is properly implemented and widely accepted by educators and students.

“If I were still in the classroom, I would love to use this technology,” Senator Joseph said. He described the platform as a useful tool for teachers, noting that it simplifies tasks such as grade entry and lesson preparation.

“The e-learning platform works on any device, and from what I’ve seen, it can make teaching easier.”

However, Senator Joseph acknowledged the lingering skepticism surrounding the initiative due to issues with a previous rollout. “There are two sides to this—technical and political,” he said.

“Technically, it works. But politically, the first time around, the discrepancies in pricing and the lack of transparency created mistrust.”

He urged the government to address these concerns by clearly communicating the program’s benefits and engaging with teachers and parents. “You have to package it properly and sell it to everyone—staff, students, and communities,” he said.

Senator Joseph also suggested that education officials hold targeted sessions to demonstrate the platform’s capabilities. “If you need to close schools for a day in each zone to train teachers, do it. Everyone needs to understand how to use the system effectively.”

The senator stressed that education should not be constrained by cost concerns. “We cannot put a price tag on education,” he said. “No amount of money is too great to spend on our children.”

Despite his overall support for the initiative, Senator Joseph pointed to unresolved questions about the previous rollout, including the true cost of the devices. “We still don’t know what the actual price was. That’s part of what created political problems last time,” he said.

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