Come August, and hypermarkets across the country begin pushing their back-to-school promotions. The items that are normally on display include backpacks, lunch boxes, water bottles, etc. in all kinds of Disney/Marvel characters.
Then, there are also book and stationery needed for the kids’ new academic year.
But with traditional books, retailers are now pushing the sales of new digital ones as thousands of children start school next month.
An increasing number of schools in the UAE are now encouraging the use of tablets in the classroom, some with specifications whereas others still limiting themselves to the favourite Apple iPad.
According to electronics retailer Plug-Ins, the sale of IT products, tablets and its related accessories is expected to go up in the weeks to come.
“The consumer electronics retailer expects sales of notebooks, tablets, laptops and smartphones to be popular choices among parents looking for the latest gadgets to help their kids with school work,” the company said in a statement.
“The back-to-school period is one of the busiest times of the year as parents look to buy the latest IT products for their kids. This year, we anticipate an increase in some of the most popular IT products as more educational institutions look to digitize their notes and reading material,” it added.
Educationists highlight benefits of tablets in the classroom. Earlier in April, Gems Modern Academy encouraged the use of tablets in its overall curriculum.
“Students in Grades 4 to 7 at Gems Modern Academy – Dubai have been given the option to use tablets with pre-selected e-books in school,” Darryl Bloud, Principal of Gems Modern Academy had told Emirates 24|7 in April as the news surrounding the use of tables in the school gained ground.
“The usage of tablets at school is an option. Some children have opted for the tablets with e-books, while others have opted to continue using physical text books. There are even students who have decided to use both.
“[The school] gave parents interested in buying tablets an easier option of obtaining them, by providing details of a vendor that the school had vetted. Those parents that were interested and wanted to buy the tablets from their vendor of choice were given the technical specifics, so that they were able to make informed decisions,” he explained to this website.
And parents, whether grudgingly or otherwise, are towing the line. “I see nothing wrong in the use of tablets in school. Why should the teaching methods remain the same when everything else is changing around us,” said a parent in Dubai.
“All I can say, it is an additional expenditure,” said another parent adding “I have to now squeeze out Dh5,000 for two iPads for my two kids.”