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London kids get leg-up in struggle to learn online
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In a community center in a deprived London suburb 鈥 surrounded by old computers and tangled leads 鈥 volunteers take their screwdrivers to the piles of donated equipment.
Their aim? To throw a learning lifeline to the many kids unable to access online lessons during the UK鈥檚 latest coronavirus lockdown. Many children in London have struggled to continue their schooling during the pandemic due to a lack of computers or tablets. Since the lockdown introduced in January, the CatBytes group in Lewisham in southeast London has seen demand from local schools constantly outstrip supply.
鈥淭he demand from Lewisham is way in excess of what we can deliver,鈥 said CatBytes founder Damian Griffiths.
Schools in England closed in early January as the new variant of coronavirus caused cases to surge. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Monday that children in England will return to class and people will be able to meet a friend outside for coffee in two weeks鈥 time.
Throughout the pandemic, 鈥渇ood insecurity has been the main issue discussed but I think digital (scarcity) is really rising up the ranks,鈥 Griffiths said.
鈥淲hile children often access the internet on phones, I was surprised at how many don鈥檛 have any laptops at home.鈥
Lewisham is nothing exceptional: The number of children in poverty there is slightly below the average for the capital. CatBytes usually runs workshops for adults, but during the pandemic, it has switched to helping children and has 鈥渁 lot more volunteers,鈥 Griffiths said.
Marz, who is repairing a donated computer, works as a videographer. Volunteers sort through the laptops, prioritizing ones that can be easily fixed while others are put to one side.
鈥淭hese we can fix during our little downtimes,鈥 Marz said.
The communications regulator Ofcom estimates that between 1.1 and 1.8 million children in the UK 鈥 or 9 percent 鈥 do not have access to a computer, laptop or tablet at home.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have something appropriate for doing schoolwork or homework,鈥 Griffiths said. 鈥淎nd now, with online learning, online schooling, every child needs a laptop.鈥
The Department for Education has delivered more than 1 million laptops and tablets to the most disadvantaged children across the country, as part of a US$554 million investment to support schools. Stacey McIntosh, the pastoral manager and safeguarding lead at nearby Rushey Green Primary School, drops in to pick up five laptops for the pupils. While the school received 74 laptops and tablets from the government, as well as some wireless routers, that is not enough.
鈥淭here are still children without computers,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he school has been providing children without devices with printed-out lesson packs but they 鈥渉ave been missing out on key learning from their teacher.鈥
Her school has received over 30 laptops from CatBytes since January and she says this is important for children socially, too. 鈥淒uring lockdown, the children have lost their friendships, their teachers who they are close to,鈥 McIntosh said. 鈥淏eing able to give them the opportunity to get online to see their friends virtually in those little squares, well, it鈥檚 significant.鈥
Vital as the computers are, some children face a struggle because their families cannot afford Internet access.
鈥淭he main problem is no one knows how to fix is the data problem,鈥 Griffiths said. 鈥淲ith a laptop, you can refurbish it but data is an ongoing cost.鈥
Ofcom says that 7 percent of households can only access the Internet through a mobile device such as a dongle or USB. A number of data providers, including Vodafone, BT Mobile and O2, are now offering free mobile data increases. Schools and local authorities in England can request this on behalf of children who do not have fixed broadband at home, cannot afford additional mobile data and are experiencing disruption to education.
But Griffiths cautions that users still have to pay at least a small amount, and 鈥渢hat鈥檚 probably a problem that would need to be solved at a higher level.鈥
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