Desperately seeking libraries, computers and lab equipment
Are physics labs properly equipped? Is there enough multimedia technology to teach the subject? Do schools have libraries? Are these used sufficiently? Are there enough computers for all the students? These questions were all posed by the OECD survey, and the answers show that much remains to be done in Greece. Greece, as well as other advanced countries, is weak in respect to libraries and other equipment which create a better learning environment and predispose teachers and pupils to broaden their work. According to the OECD, schoolchildren study better at schools where they can have frequent recourse to the library, the laboratories, computers and the Internet. But Greece, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Norway, Russia and Britain suffer from a major lack of libraries and infrastructure, with the result that these countries lag behind in education. OECD researchers placed great emphasis on schoolchildren familiarizing themselves with computers as a tool of knowledge. Given Greece’s low position in this respect, the survey stresses that despite the Education Ministry’s major effort to introduce computers into schools, their use by pupils was insufficient. School principals taking part in the survey said that they were very concerned about the consequences of shortages of books and computers, while building deficiencies do not seem to have as much impact on learning.
