If your teacher cannot give the answer, go to your PC

Zatni Arbi, Columnist, Jakarta

In this digital age, to be a teacher in this country is harder than ever. On the one side, teachers do not earn enough to support their families. They have to do other jobs to supplement their monthly salaries, while their cost of living and of fulfilling the needs of their own children continue to skyrocket.

That is why a good majority of our teachers provide private tutoring to their pupils and students after school hours. It is not uncommon for teachers even to earn additional income by offering ojek (motorcycle taxi) services. Understandably, our teachers today cannot afford the time to upgrade their knowledge.

In fact, this problem, which has been plaguing our educational system for decades and has led to the dismal quality of our human resources, is not unique to our school system up to the secondary level. Many of our university professors are also super-busy people, as they hold key positions as consultants to government bodies, run their own businesses or teach at more than just a few different institutions.

On the other hand, in this digital era, knowledge has become a person's most important asset. We compete by using knowledge, not physical might. What can we do if we can no longer expect our children to learn much from their busy teachers? Where can they go if their teachers cannot give them the answers to the questions that they have in their inquisitive minds? Children's curiosity should be nurtured, but in most cases it has been suppressed because the teachers happen to have to be limited in their knowledge.

In this situation, we might employ a teacher substitute called personal computer. We need a relatively fast PC or Mac, of course, as we cannot blame our children if they get bored quickly using a slow machine. It has to have multimedia capabilities, too, to enrich the learning experience. It has to have Internet connection as well, as that is where the world's largest repository of knowledge exists. And then there should be a good collection of educational software.

What should be in the collection? First of all, it should include a few multimedia encyclopedias in their latest editions. Just keep in mind that not all encyclopedias are the same. Some have more information on specific topics than others. To find as much information as possible, your children may need to check out more than just one encyclopedia.

The list of good multimedia encyclopedias includes Grollier Multimedia Encyclopedia, New Millennium Encyclopedia & Home Reference Library Deluxe from Simon & Schuster Interactive, WorldBook Encyclopedia from Topics Entertainment, Compton's Multimedia Encyclopedia, Microsoft Encarta, Encyclopedia Britannica and so many others.

Do not let the price of multi-volume, leather bound printed encyclopedias discourage you. These are not the real encyclopedias anymore, they are just to fill the showcases in your living room. Their electronic versions cost between US$20 and US$ 30 each, which may include up to four CD-ROMs. Do not buy the Standard version, buy the Premiere or Deluxe version. Your child will appreciate it.

Does your child have a knack for science? There are encyclopedias of science, such as Simon & Schuster New Millennium Encyclopedia of Science. Do you want your child to be good at algebra? Try Algebra Booster. Does he seem to be interested in attending a medical school later on? Give him Human 3D and Body Voyage. A good source of educational software is, of course, Amazon.com. Another, especially for pre-school and kindergarten levels, is Broderbund (www.broderbund.com). A site that you must visit is Riverdeep (www.riverdeep.net).

However, the personal computer is only a partial solution to the problem. Partial, because no computer software -- no matter how good it is -- can ever replace a human teacher who inspires, teaches and becomes a role model for his student. In the absence of such a person, the computer and its software is the best alternative that we have.

But, before you turn the computer on, remember that the best learning experience with the machine will be possible only if parents accompany their children as they go through each lesson.