Johannesburg - Elite private schools have told parents that their children will require iPads, according to a newspaper report on Thursday.
Kingsmead Girls' College sent a letter to parents informing them that iPad 2 tablets would be used for teaching Grades Six and Eight from July, the Times reported.
Saheti, in Bedfordview, and King David, in Linksfield, were also using the tablets.
Use of the high-tech gadgets - which cost R5 000 each - in elite schools was in stark contrast to many government schools where simple teaching support material was often hard to come by.
Education psychologist Melanie Hartgill said the move would increase the information divide between rich and poor schools.
“The rapid adoption of information technology infrastructure at private schools is widening the gap between the haves and have-nots.”
One disadvantage of tablet teaching was that listening skills could be under developed.
IT expert Arthur Goldstuck said an advantage of the technology was that children with handwriting problems were able to keep up with the class through typing.
Director of electronic education for the education department, Phil Mnisi, said a white paper was produced for the introduction of internet connectivity to schools.
At present only 23 percent of schools had internet access.
Equal Education spokesman Doram Isaacs said 3600 schools did not even have electricity, and it would be decades before South African schools caught up with present technology.
He said poor schools should still be experimenting with technology such as tablet education. - Sapa