While Australia is slowly closing the digital inclusion gap nationally, for those most effected by financial and geographical disadvantage, it isn’t closing at the same rate – and that means many students aren’t able to fully participate in the classroom today, which could lead to an increasing skills shortage in the workplaces of tomorrow.
Around three in ten of the students The Smith Family supports on its Learning for Life program, are still on the wrong side of the digital divide, with many having to rely on phones and public WiFi to stay connected.
For single mother, Jess Paxton, it’s a reality that she sees her teenage daughter struggling with.
“I was made redundant three months ago and still haven’t been able to find a job at the same level,” she told EducationDaily.
But with her household expenses increasing as cost-of-living pressures mount, Paxton says she was forced to make some tough financial decisions – and the tightening of the household budget has left her in a precarious position that is now impacting her daughter’s education.
“Unfortunately, my daughter’s laptop died not long before my job did,” Paxton says.
Sharing one laptop, without the spare money to get the old one fixed, was meant to be a temporary measure, but Paxton says she is still a couple of weeks away from having enough money saved to address the issue.
She still counts herself lucky, though, especially now that Paxton says “the end is in sight, and she’ll have hers fixed really soon”.
“It’s been a hard few months and she’s had to take a laptop to school most days, which means I’ve been without one, but there have been days when I’ve needed it for some freelance work and she’s gone to school without it, which is hard in year nine,” she says.
“The school has been letting her use one on some days, but she can’t get access to it all the time, so it’s been causing her a lot of stress … and she feels pretty embarrassed, which makes me feel like crap.”
Paxton and her daughter are far from alone – and for some families, bridging the digital divide that separates disadvantaged families from access to the tech tools so pivotal for contemporary education is much harder to navigate.
Lack of digital resources for students leads to lack of future work opportunities
New research shows that 80 per cent of Australians believe students in poverty are further disadvantaged when it comes to accessing essential digital resources for classroom participation, with the majority of research participants agreeing that digital devices and reliable internet are now fundamental to every child’s education.
The findings from the latest Community Attitudes Survey, conducted for national children’s education charity The Smith Family underscores the criticality of digital tools and skills – placing them on par with literacy and numeracy in their importance to a student’s learning journey.
Financial stress impacts educational outcomes
Doug Taylor, CEO of The Smith Family, says financial stress and poverty has a dramatic impact on educational outcomes.
“The gap between students from disadvantaged families and their more advantaged peers is widening,” he told EducationDaily.
“With around 1.2 million Australian children and young people growing up in poverty, many are effectively excluded from learning opportunities due to the digital divide.”
Without access to the tools needed to thrive in today’s classrooms, he says The Smith Family has serious concerns about how these Australian students will be suitably prepared for future study and work opportunities.
By missing out on essential digital literacy skills, access to reliable home internet and other technological support, Taylor says this cohort of students risk missing out on important educational and career pathways.
“With 90 per cent of future jobs requiring post-secondary qualifications, digital literacy is an integral part of every child’s educational journey,” he says.
“Ensuring all students can have access to the necessary digital tools and skills is imperative
for them to seize study, work, and life opportunities ahead.”
Low-income students have lower ICT literacy
The findings come as the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority’s analysis of the
national NAP-ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Literacy assessment revealed the average scale score of year 10 students continues to decline.
It found that students from lower income households scored far worse than those from higher socio-economic backgrounds. Additionally, boys from years six -10 were more likely to have lower ICT literacy levels than their female peers.
More than 68 per cent of students in year six with a parent who had a Bachelor degree or higher attained the proficiency standard, compared to just 40 per cent of students whose parents’ highest education was year 11 or equivalent. For students whose parents only attained an education level of year 10 or equivalent, the proficiency standard was met by just 29 per cent.
Taylor told EducationDaily the impact of the digital divide is one of the most pressing educational challenges for children in low-income households.
“Currently, three in ten students we support through our Learning for Life program are on the wrong side of this divide,” he says.
A separate study involving students and families from The Smith Family’s Learning for Life
program and their parents reinforces the reality that advanced digital skills are not just a necessity for education but also for life – and as students transition from primary to high school, particularly in Year seven, digital access becomes crucial.
The lack of connectivity has a direct impact on ability to complete homework on time, but also affects social engagement – something that can leave students feeling isolated.
“Young people are resorting to extraordinary measures to maintain digital connectivity
outside of school. Some are relying on mobile devices and public WiFi to complete schoolwork due to the absence of a reliable laptop or internet connection at home,” Taylor says.
Digital Learning Essentials Appeal builds a bridge
The Smith Family’s 2024 Digital Learning Essentials Appeal aims to ensure that every student on our Learning for Life program is equipped with a laptop, home internet and technical support for learning.
Thanks to the generous support of donors, Taylor says the program has successfully provided essential digital resources to more than 6,000 students in the past two years.
Throughout 2024, he says, the plan is to deliver an additional 3,500 devices to help students stay connected.
With almost all of participating parents and careers who have already received a Digital Learning Essentials pack saying it has significantly aided their children’s education, the program’s success is evident – but Taylor says it needs more support to help others in need.
“I liken digital devices to the ‘new pens and paper’ of our era,” he says.
“Donations to this program will ensure we can make help bridge the digital divide for even more children experiencing disadvantage and support their learning success, at school where it really matters.”
To donate to the Digital Learning Essentials program, visit thesmithfamily.com.au.
