Taking Schoolbooks Out of The Bag

Kudos Shane Hogan, a teacher in CSB Secondary School, Charleville, Co. Cork. Mr. Hogan's letter to the editor was posted in yesterday's Irish Times and featured a huge amount of "good sense". He writes of the need to encourage pupils to walk or cycle to school and of the major barricade to the problem - heavy schoolbags. What he proposes is simple: "when a student buys a schoolbook they should be provided with an electronic copy of that same book, whether on disc, memory card or download key. The book can then be left in the school locker, and homework or study done using the electronic copy on a home computer. The schoolbag need only contain copies, pens, pencils, etc". Makes sense to me! Unfortunately, just because something makes good sense doesn't mean Minister Batt O'Keeffe will do anything about it. In fact, he is more likely to implement a proposal that makes no sense at all. To read Mr. Hogan's full letter, click here.