Schools charging students to hire laptops for home-school

Students forced to study at home during the coronavirus lockdown will have to beg, borrow or buy laptops for learning, with one state school even charging student to hire computers.

KIDS forced to stay home from school during coronavirus lockdowns are having to buy, borrow or rent computers so they can study at home.

Longreach State High School is charging parents $100 to hire laptops during coronavirus school shutdowns, with a $50 refund for devices returned in “excellent condition’’.

Families in financial hardship, who have a health care card or a statutory declaration of job loss, can borrow laptops for free.

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Opposition leader Deb Frecklington said laptops should be made available for all children learning at home to use free of charge.

“Given the Labor government is forcing parents to keep kids at home, it should be providing appropriate devices free of charge,’’ she said.

State Education Minister Grace Grace yesterday said parents should ask the school principal if they need to borrow a device for home learning.

She said her department would provide extra devices to schools in need.

“In the first instance devices that schools currently own are being provided on a loan arrangement,’’ she said.

“All schools have provided information on what additional devices they and their students require.

“The Department of Education is managing distribution of these additional devices, which will also be provided to students on a loan arrangement.

“Parents and carers should contact their school principal if they require a device for at home learning.’’

She said a hotline had been set up for state school and kindergarten parents to contact come Monday if there are any issues during the next five weeks.

“I encourage parents to contact their schools in the first instance,” she said.

“But if they require any further support state school parents can call 1800 570 793 and early childhood parents can call 1800 454 639.”

The State Government has also purchased 5254 new laptops to help students learn at home, but they will not be ready for the start of term tomorrow.

Ms Grace said Telstra had donated 5000 SIM cards with unlimited data, parental locks and content controls for children without internet to use at home.

She said printed packs with the same content as online lessons would be given to “students who may not yet have access to a device at home’’.

Mum Kristy Wake says she can’t afford to hire another computer for her four children to learn from home, from left Corey, 12, Sophie, 14, Cooper, 10, and Abby, 8. Picture: Sam Rutherford

Longreach mother Kristy Wake is dreading having to homeschool her four children, with two in a Catholic primary school and two in the local high school – including a 10-year-old who is hearing-impaired.

“I’m terrified – it’s very scary,’’ Ms Wake said yesterday.

“It’s very frustrating because my husband and I are self-employed (as builders) and we need to keep working.

“I’ve set up a school room in the lounge room, but I’m not going to have a computer of my own because the kids will be on it.’’

Ms Wake said the closest coronavirus case had been an eight-hour drive from Longreach, yet only “essential workers’’ could send their kids to school.

She said she “doesn’t have a spare $100” to hire a laptop, so the four kids would have to share a home computer and her work laptop.