Arabic version: خبيرة: الطلاب يفتقرون إلى مهارات الحاسوب الأساسية

According to ABC News, primary school students who regularly use digital devices can still lack basic computer skills, including typing and file-saving, despite technology being introduced in classrooms from the early years.

Mother Emily Lockwood said her children did not have the dedicated computer classes she experienced in primary school, where students learned to type, make presentations and save files. Her children can bring their own devices to school from year 3 under the optional Bring Your Own Device program, but she said typing did not come naturally to them.

Edith Cowan University senior education lecturer Anabela Malpique said students need “keyboarding automaticity” so they are not hunting and pecking for letters instead of concentrating on their ideas. She said basic computer skills should be explicitly taught, like reading, writing and maths.

Research cited by ABC News shows children still produce higher-quality writing by hand than when typing. Ms Malpique said students may have more experience with handwriting, while teachers reported spending more time teaching paper-based writing because of limited training or school capacity for computer-based writing instruction.

Year 5 students are expected to complete NAPLAN tests on computers. After this year’s results, NSW Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said computerised testing could be affecting writing results and asked the federal Department of Education to consider moving NAPLAN writing back to pen and paper for all year levels.