One in four Australians don’t have access to essential technology. The Smith Family says a national device bank could help close the gap
A Westfield shopping centre isn’t an obvious place to get homework done. But for Deborah Botende, it was one of her only options.
“It was really, really hard on me, I found myself behind on assignments, or not understanding tasks,” she says. “ was such a significant barrier to my education – I had to constantly be proactive. The CEO of The Smith Family, Doug Taylor, says about 10 million laptops, tablets and PCs have been refreshed by corporate bodies and governments in the past five years. If they were recycled, 10 million students could benefit.
“At the same time, schools are now seeing AI as inevitable and a tool – if you’re unable to access that, how further disadvantaged are you going to be in your education?”is the principal reason behind digital exclusion. ADII research estimates 65% of people living in public housing are under digital affordability stress – meaning they need to pay more than 5% of household income to maintain quality, reliable connectivity – rising to 70% of people without employment.
In Victoria, schools opt to provide devices, either via loan or shared class set, or enforce a Bring Your Own Device program, where parents are invited to supply a digital device for their child to use and own. In New South Wales, principals can approve the loaning of digital devices to students to use at home – but this isn’t mandatory.
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