Literacy slain on the altar of technology

I told the class to shut down their computers and take out their pens and some paper. No, they couldn't wait until the end of the year to apply for jobs - the skills shortage was acute in the marketplace, their country needed them. That didn't go down well. I persisted.

Their immediate career plans didn't alter my determination to prepare them for the world of work, so I told them they would spend the class replying to an advertisement I had copied from the day's newspaper. They could regard it as a practice run if they liked, but some day they'd need to write such a letter and it was important, very important, to do so correctly.

They didn't believe a word of it. Nevertheless the letterwriting began and, when the class was over, the collected scripts revealed some thought-provoking facts about the direction our education is taking. Here was a class of Post-Leaving Cert students who were computer literate, who regarded Yahoo as their trusted mentor, could create a database at the drop of a hat, mailmerge to beat the band - yet, in this simple page-long letter, there were mis-spelt words, clumsy sentences, misplaced apostrophes, incorrect punctuation.

One must ask the question: what is happening to basic literacy today? Are we losing the run of ourselves in the pursuit of technology? Or why is basic literacy being sacrificed on the altar of educational evolution?

It is, and things are getting worse. Ask any teacher about the new entrants at second level and he or she has no doubts that standards are falling; ask any employer and he or she bemoans that the new employee cannot spell simple words; ask any parent about the letter or email from the offspring abroad and they wonder if that's as good as it gets after all the years of schooling.

There are those who consider such criticisms pedantic nitpicking; but even today, in the much-lauded information age, the importance of being able to construct simple sentences, spell and punctuate cannot be gainsaid - and, indeed, at one time the acquisition of these simple skills formed the core of the school curriculum at primary school.

It would be ridiculous to suggest that today's primary teacher is not as enthusiastic, as competent, as dedicated as those of yesteryear; rather, one never ceases to marvel at the amount of work they can pack into the school day. Not only do they have to cope with new subjects, but they must embrace new technology also.

Please tell me, why are computers necessary in the primary classroom?

We are all aware of the skills shortage, of the fact that there will be huge employment in the technology sector in the future, but is it necessary to prepare mere children for these jobs? Surely it is time enough to introduce computers in the classroom in Transition Year?

What about those who never progress in second level? These are the very people who need most of all to be basically literate, whose years at the primary school are most precious. These are the ones in the future who will be asked in employment agencies to write a few sentences about their reasons for seeking a non-skilled job.

Will they be able? Where will IT2000 be then? Is the spellcheck a substitute for knowledge of old-fashioned spelling? Will the computer teach them to transfer their thoughts into simple correct words?

We are constantly being told that familiarisation with the computer is so important that the younger it is initiated, the better. But is this so? And is this acquiring of basic computer knowledge such a mammoth task that it must be started at an early age? On the contrary, students of every age are fascinated with computers - little effort is required to teach the technicalities, no reluctance to learn is ever shown in the computer room. So why is it necessary to introduce the subject at primary level?

True, the arrival of the computer in the classroom has revolutionised the learning process; tiresome and tedious tasks can be eliminated; information on a wide variety of topics can be accessed easily - but when should this valuable tool be used? Would more time with the pen and less with the mouse yield better results in the long run?

Aideen Clifford teacher of business subjects at the College of Commerce in Cork