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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/oct/15/technology-access-the-smith-family-national-device-bank-deborah-schoolwork-shopping-centre-wifi>
"A Westfield shopping centre isn’t an obvious place to get homework done. But
for Deborah Botende, it was one of her only options.
Botende grew up in foster care in Brisbane and had no internet access at home.
Throughout high school, she would stay back after her retail shift to use the
shopping centre’s wifi – completing her schoolwork on a secondhand laptop.
On days she wasn’t working, Botende would walk to the library – but was limited
by early closing hours.
“It was really, really hard on me, I found myself behind on assignments, or not
understanding tasks,” she says. “[Having no internet] was such a significant
barrier to my education – I had to constantly be proactive.
“I’d use the internet after work and get home late to revise on my own … I felt
I had no choice, this was my reality.”
As end-of-year exams begin to roll out across the nation, The Smith Family is
calling on the federal government to create a national device bank in order to
close digital inclusion gaps among young people.
According to the latest Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII), almost a
quarter of Australians are digitally excluded – meaning they have don’t have
access to essential technology, such as fast and reliable internet and digital
devices.
The chief executive 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."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
