Plea for spare tech to help Melton pupils log on to online lessons

The call comes as concerns grow that some children are falling behind with their learning because they do not have access to the technology needed to do school work online.

Now East Midlands Chamber of Commerce is urging businesses to donate spare IT equipment to parents who may be unable to afford laptops or tablets for their children.

Some children are even resorting to trying to follow their lessons and complete homework using their mobile phones.

Lucy Robinson, director of resources for the chamber, said: “It’s become increasingly clear throughout this pandemic that Covid-19 is only serving to widen gaps between people according to their socioeconomic groups.

“We absolutely must not allow this to also lead to a widening of the education gap as there’s plenty of evidence to show how important a decent education is to setting children up for a good career – enabling them to contribute to the local economy in future.

“There will be many businesses that have spare laptops and other IT equipment lying around offices unused as a result of either temporary or permanent reduction in head counts.

“We would encourage companies to help out by either loaning or donating kit to their own employees who fall into this category, or to schools and dedicated charities.

She added: “Such actions can form a key part of corporate social responsibility activity, which we’ve seen is becoming increasingly vital to employees who want to work for organisations that share their values, while it could also improve productivity.”