14 DAY TRIAL // Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California, has announced plans to push for Digital Textbook Initiative, where traditional paper textbooks in schools would be completely replaced by digital ones accessible via the Internet, Schwarzenegger himself has revealed in a column for Mercury News. The switch would initially save the State of California about $400 million and would also mark a reduced environmental impact, but whether it would actually be passed is still to be determined.
Aside from cost-cutting and being more environmentally friendly, since the initiative would considerably reduce the waste of paper, it would also give California students the upper hand, as they deserve, the Governor explains in the aforementioned column. With technology advancing at a such accelerated pace, denying students in this state the right access to it means putting them a step below the rest of the country, especially in a context in which, according to Schwarzenegger, California “is home to software giants, bioscience research pioneers and first-class university systems.”
“It’s nonsensical – and expensive – to look to traditional hard-bound books when information today is so readily available in electronic form. Especially now, when our school districts are strapped for cash and our state budget deficit is forcing further cuts to classrooms, we must do everything we can to untie educators’ hands and free up dollars so that schools can do more with fewer resources.” Schwarzenegger says of the events leading to his coming up with the initiative.
Therefore, it is to the best interest of everyone involved to promote the permanent replacement of paper textbooks with their digital counterparts. “That’s why I am so excited about the digital textbooks initiative California just launched. Starting with high school math and science books, this initiative paves the way for easier access to free digital texts in California’s schools. By frequently updating texts as they are developed, rather than continuing to teach from outdated textbooks, we will better prepare our students.” the Governor further explains.
As Ana Kasparian of The Examiner points out, the initiative does have its clear advantages, like the ones mentioned above: cutting costs, reducing the impact on the environment and keeping students up to date with technological advances. Nevertheless, it also comes with important downsides, like leaving students in poorer neighborhoods on the outside since they would not have access either to a PC or the Internet. In doing so, passing the initiative would mean denying their right to education, which, in Kasparian’s own words, would be “beyond unfair.”