Queensland parents unable to afford technological devises required for school

Queensland parents are drowning in back to school requirements, meaning many kids are missing out.

Mum Lenice Davidson with her kids Chelsea, Angel-Rose, and Tye, struggling to purchase technology for her kids for school, Brighton. Picture: Liam Kidston

Queensland parents are drowning in costs for school technology with experts saying the ‘bring your own device’ requirement in schools is limiting children’s learning.

Brisbane mother of six Lenice Davidson is one of many parents who are disadvantaged by the requirement.

Student laptops listed online can cost anywhere between $379 to $2000.

Ms Davidson said her son Tye’s laptop will need to come out of her pension check fortnightly for years before it’s fully paid off.

“Tye had come home yesterday upset because all the kids got their laptops and they were flashing them in his face because he didn’t get one,” Ms Davidson said.

Ms Davidson said while other kids received their school laptops this week her 13-year-old son will be forced to wait until next Friday to get his because of the payment plan.

“Seeing the hurt on his face after what the other kids were doing to him that was really upsetting,” she said.

Mum Lenice Davidson with her kids Chelsea, Angel-Rose, and Tye. Picture: Liam Kidston

It comes after new research showed state school parents would fork out more than $100,000 per child over the 13 years of schooling.

Ms Davidson said Tye needed extra attention when it came to learning and that by not having a laptop to do his homework on, it came at a disadvantage.

“It’s very disappointing for myself, because you feel like you want to give everything to your children, and when you can’t do that despite trying your best as a single mum to give them what you can it’s really disheartening,” Ms Davidson said.

On the other hand Ms Davidson’s daughter Chelsea, 11, received a laptop from The Smith Family’s Learning for Life Program, which made a world of difference for the family’s finances.

“That was really, really good and Chelsea did really well with her reading last year afterwards,” Ms Davidson said.

Teacher’s Professional Association Queensland President Scott Stanford said some kids were either being “left out or left behind” as a result of not having access to school devices.

“It’s also not just the cost of the laptop, parents and schools then also have to pay for wifi,” he said.
“I often had students who would say, ‘I can’t do this at home, because I haven’t got Wi-Fi’.”

Mr Stanford said the upkeep of technology in schools was now becoming more and more expansive for the education system.

Queensland Secondary Principals Association Mark Breckenridge said while schools had the individual ability to determine with their community what worked around device requirements, principals remained very aware of cost pressures.

“And I know from personal experience of leading schools, but also, in talking with my colleagues, principals look for any way possible to reduce the cost to parents, so whether it’s through a loan arrangement or other ways,” he said.

Mr Breckenridge said there was a range of mechanisms in place, and schools were continually looking for ways to improve.