PM urged to address digital divide among pupils

Nearly nine per cent of UK children lack home access to a desktop, laptop, or tablet, and almost 1 million rely on a mobile connection

Senior public figures in the UK have written a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging him to help hundreds of thousands of students on 'the wrong side of the digital divide', by providing them with the devices and internet connection they lack for remote learning during the pandemic.

Former prime minister Tony Blair, three ex-education secretaries (Lord Blunkett, Baroness Morris and Alan Johnson), various charities, unions and a large number of current MPs have signed the letter, which was co-ordinated by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh, according to the Guardian.

"We write to you following the news that school will be closed for millions of pupils for the opening weeks of the new term," it reads.

"At the time of writing, all secondary school pupils in England and more than one million primary school pupils will be reliant on remote learning to continue their education."

"Children on the wrong side of the digital divide have neither the data nor the devices to log in from home when their schools close. In a country with free state education, no child's education should be dependent on their internet connection," it added.

McDonagh's letter cited an Ofcom estimate that between 1.1 million and 1.8 million children in the UK (around nine per cent) currently lack access to a desktop, laptop, or tablet at their homes. In addition, around 880,000 children live in a household that only has access to a mobile internet connection.

McDonagh also referred to the data from the Office for National Statistics, which shows that only half of UK households earning between £6,000 and £10,000 have internet access.

The letter to the PM comes as ministers and teaching unions in the UK have clashed over how many - or even if - schools should be shut down, amid a surge in Covid cases.

Most primary schools in England are expected to open today, the first official day of the new term in England, although secondary schools will reopen on a staggered basis. They are expected to reopen next week only for pupils in years 11 and 13, and reopen more fully from 18th January.

Primary schools will remain closed until 18th January in 60 contingency areas. In London, all schools will remain closed, while schools in some parts of Kent, Essex, East Sussex, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire will teach pupils remotely.

While minsters insist it is safe for primary schools to re-open, most teaching unions and local councils are not happy with the decision, and have urged the government to rethink it.

The letter to the PM welcomed the development of the online Oak Academy in response to pandemic, but said it remains inaccessible to pupils without sufficient access to technology.

A Department for Education spokesman said: "We have scaled up our devices scheme, alongside our tutoring offer to reach as many children and young people as possible."

"More than one million laptops and tablets have been purchased for disadvantaged young people through this pandemic, supporting schools and students to ensure remote education is as strong as it can be."