CLACKMANNANSHIRE Council spent nearly £100,000 on tablet computers for educational purposes in the past three years, but the devices only cost around £6 per pupil.

The figures were revealed by a Freedom of Information request by MSP Murdo Fraser, however, education convener and councillor Ellen Forson told the Advertiser that the devices cost only around £4-6 per pupil.

Mr Fraser, Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative representative, welcomed the increasing use of digital resources, but warned that children may be losing out on traditional skills like handwriting, grammar and spelling.

He said: “Ultimately our youngsters have to learn skills that will be applicable in the world of work and being digitally literate is definitely a part of this.

“However, there is a danger of devaluing the cornerstones of traditional education if there is too great a shift towards solely using digital resources. The ability to write legibly, and form sentences without the use of a spell/grammar checker must be protected.

“In university and school exams there are no spell/grammar checkers to help students and I would like to see the fundamentals of the English language protected.

“Teacher training must also match investment in tablets as there is no point in spending thousands on iPad’s without being able to use them to their full potential.” According to his research, Clackmannanshire Council spent £92,976 on the devices and local authorities across central Scotland, including Perth & Kinross, Fife and Stirling councils as well as the Wee County authority spent a combined total of £863,351.

Councillor Ellen Forson, education convener at Clackmannanshire Council, explained: “Fifty-four per cent of homes in the UK already have a tablet and 75 per cent will have one by 2016, according to Ofcom’s latest report. This means that many children are becoming computer-literate before they’ve even started primary school.

“It is unsurprising, therefore, that technology is playing an increasingly central role in the 21st century classroom - not just in IT lessons, but in English, maths and science lessons as well.

“Tablets have tremendous potential to enrich pupils’ learning by giving them access to a multi function device which can be used as a camera, sound recorder, for accessing resources online, note taking and much more.

“Ensuring that young people develop high levels of literacy continues to be a top priority for Clackmannanshire schools and the use of tablet technology in the classroom seeks to strengthen and support this. Using tablets in the classroom has been shown to improve learner engagement.

“Using technology in an educational environment not only better reflects children’s life outside the classroom, but also allows them to hone their digital skills in a way that will continue to be valuable throughout their adult life.” Mr Fraser is also concerned about the lifespan of the “shiny new tablets”. He added:“Furthermore, due to planned obsolescence many of these devices are not built to last and local authorities could be faced with similar bills for replacement and repair every few years which I would hope is considered when buying on this scale.” Responding, councillor Forson said: “The Scottish Government supports the use of tablets and other mobile devices.

“All tablets are purchased through the Scottish Government’s national Tablet Devices Framework to ensure that the tablets offer the best possible value for money and that they are suitable for use in schools.

“Our costs work out at about £4/6 per pupil. All technology moves on and tablets are replacing more conventional computer equipment as technology evolves and more educational software is delivered online through the internet.”