Sinn Féin TD for Waterford, Conor D. McGuinness, has said the Government can no longer ignore the growing digital divide in schools following the publication this week of research by the University of Limerick and the ESRI, which highlighted the increasing cost being placed on families and the inadequate funding available to schools to deliver digital education.

Deputy McGuinness said:

“The research published this week confirms what parents, principals and school communities have been telling me for some time. The Government has taken a hands-off approach to digital learning, leaving schools behind and forcing parents to pick up the bill.

“I’ve been contacted by parents across Waterford, who are under enormous financial pressure to purchase laptops and other devices costing hundreds of euro. At a time when families are already facing significant back-to-school costs, this is simply another expense they should not have to shoulder.

“I’ve also been contacted by principals and school management who are equally frustrated. When they seek additional support from the Department of Education, they’re told to use their existing ICT budgets. The reality is those budgets are nowhere near enough.

“Schools are expected to fund essential administrative software, classroom audiovisual equipment, technology and science labs, network upgrades, cybersecurity and the day-to-day digital infrastructure needed to run a modern school. Yet the funding simply isn’t there. Government cannot continue to tell schools to do more with less while refusing to provide the resources they need.

“The University of Limerick and ESRI research found that three in ten post-primary schools now require students to purchase their own digital device, with costs ranging from €600 to €1,000. It also warns that the current approach is creating a growing digital divide between schools and students.

“Schools are being left to make impossible choices, while parents are being left with bills they can ill afford. That is the direct result of Government’s failure to properly plan and invest in digital education.

“Government needs to end this hands-off approach. Schools should be properly funded to provide the digital infrastructure they need, and families should not be expected to bridge the gap created by Government inaction. Every child, regardless of where they live or their family’s income, should have equal access to the technology they need to succeed.”