I just don't get it...?

I held my tongue on the GCE debacle but here comes this article out of the Express that just gets my blood boiling...is it just me? Can someome explain the logic of it to me or am I just too old and stupid to understand?
[I've had to edit this post and remove the industrial strength language].
SEA results get more high-techAnna Ramdass aramdass@trinidadexpress.com
Friday, May 15th 2009
"Government has invested $100,000 in a system by which students would be able to get their SEA examination results by text messages this year, says Education Minister Esther Le Gendre.

Speaking at the post-Cabinet press conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's, Le Gendre said that Cabinet approved that some $30,000 would be spent to put the required enhancements in place within the Ministry and another $70,000 would be paid to the telecommunications providers for the service.

She said the SEA results could be easily accessed by these mobile SMS messages as well as on the Education Ministry's website.

The Minister stressed, however, that the actual exam result slip remains the official document. She noted that in 2007 the Ministry launched its website and SEA results were also available on this site.

She said from next month parents and students would be able to register for the service by texting the student's ID to a particular number during the period June 1 to 23.

Le Gendre said students would also receive text messages as to the date of registration for the secondary school they passed for."

Okay here are my concerns.
1) Nowhere is an acceptable educational rationale given for why it was necessary to invest in this system. I am willing to believe that there is some justification behind the decision to invest 100,000 dollars on this system. What problem is it meant to solve? What is it supposed to do better or more effeciently given that the hardcopy result paper remains the legal and official result? How is it an improvement? None of these important questions are addressed by the Minister

2) I don't mean to be prophetic but given the less than stellar track receord of the Ministry I feel reasonably confident in saying that there is likely to be a mix up somewhere with persons receiving the wrong texts...with the accompanying emotional trauma or joy and subsequent anger and Ministerial apologia...we've played that track this week already. Notice dey done cover dey @$$ already with the disclaimer about the paper being the official result. Being a completely automated system no one will be able to be held accountable far less answerable for these mistakes...ay yes sweet T& T, SNAFU.

3) Now onto economic concerns. Do students or their parents have to pay to access their results via SMS or is it a free service? I see $$$ $igns in the eyes of some telecom executives if this is the case as every body and dey mudder and dey fadder and dey aunty checks the chile result for themself. Basically we are paying for something that it appears that we have no need for, since no reason is given as yet. Or in reality we are paying so that a few people would not be inconveniened to go spend some time at an important moment in their child's life. And I wonder who those people are and where they work?

4) How much of this investment will be a recurrent expenditure for the MoE and consequently for the people of Trinidad and Tobago? According to the article this seems like TSTT and Digicel can now count on sharing $70,000 each year, that should be good news for them in these lean economic times. And of course if the costs of texts go up (though they should be going down according to some basic economic pricniples)... I really would like to see this agreement between the MoE and the telecoms

5) This investment serves to further entrench the Common Entrance/SEA making it less likely that it will be removed any time in the near future despite repeated calls by myself and others to rethink the design and purpose of this assessment instrument as a selection tool given the real negative consequences that it has wrought on our children and nation's psyche...but that argument is a dead horse by now the amount of time it get beat to no avail.

Dear Prime Minister can we please get a competent and sensible Minister of Education at least once during your term in office?
Okay I feel better now, I think my BP is back to normal.
TGFB...Thank God For Blogging!