Introduction to POSB Smart Buddy Programme - Should You Fear It?

In this day and age, technology is something we have to embrace.  Trying to work against it might bring fears and resistance.  But if I were to work around it, look at it positively, life will be much better right?

Frankly speaking, I went to the introduction of the POSB Smart Buddy Programme with a hint of skepticism.  When I first heard of this programme, my initial fears were about the inability to learn counting money due to the lack of contact with it, understanding the concepts of paying and getting back the change.  And of course, the touch and feel of real money and what it meant.

As the world's first in-school savings and payments wearable programme for primary school kids, it is essentially a watch with features.  For the child to pay his food at the school canteen or bookshop, track his steps and in-school location.  Now, this is only available at selected schools who have embarked on the journey.  

Hearing from other parents whose children are using this in their primary schools, it was not that all negative.  To me, the features such as tracking a child's steps, knowing his location is a yes for me.

A chargeable by USB wearable, this watch is easy to set up.  Simply download the app from the different smartphones' app store, activate the payment chip that goes into the watch and viola, the rest is a breeze.

We were unable to test the payment out in the school as D's school is not in the programme but I understand that parents set a daily allowance and when the child uses it at the school canteen, the amount used will be automatically deducted.  Parents can track what the child spends on and what he / she bought.  This definitely eliminates the "trust" issue because it's all known.  

If I am the parent on this programme, I will tell the child to just let me know what he wants to buy.  I mean, we all grow up and went through this phrase whereby we secretly bought that country eraser or pretty clip and hide it from our parents. However, there is no need to with this as we will all be able to know what is bought.  From there, we can explain to the child on how he should be spending his allowance and hopefully, he understands the logic of saving. 

Now, this feature is what D exclaims is the coolest.  The steps tracker.  I have never tracked his steps and am amazed that each day, he takes about 6000 steps,  From this number, I can actually tell a few things - whether he was active in school or was unwell and not moving much.  Not that it is real-time but I guess, it gives that little insight of what he does in school, apart from just him saying, "I went to the field to play! or "I was not feeling very well so I sat at the canteen during recess time.".

I wish that the watch is introduced on a larger scale basis.  I would like to see how it can include the locator feature island-wide - not to the extent of the exact position real-time, but at least for primary school children, the ability to track when they reach and exit school, board and alight the public transport and from there, we will be able to know how long it takes to reach home or if they are home.

Beyond the fears of children not being able to count money, we should look at the prospects of this watch, and I think, "when you can't fight them, why not join them?" (in terms of technology) and make it a better wearable for the better of our children.

Disclosure: We were given a POSB Smart Buddy for the purpose of this review.  All photos and opinions are true to my own unless otherwise stated.

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