Chamber backs drive to equip children with laptops

A new drive to get laptops to Birmingham children who urgently need them for home schooling is being backed by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.

Birmingham 's Digital Education Partnership is aiming to equip thousands of children across the city with connectivity or devices.

The initiative was launched after it emerged as many as 20,000 young people in schools across Birmingham are still suffering from 'digital poverty ', which is excluding them from education during lockdown.

The Digital Education Partnership is working with schools and the Early Help Hubs across the city to help families that are most in need of a digital support in their home.

Organisations and individuals can help the cause by donating old laptops or providing donations.

Each donated device will be sent to partners at Link2ICT to be renewed and repurposed ready to support a family in Birmingham.

Tim Boyes, chief executive of the Birmingham Education Partnership, said: “Dealing now with another lockdown and with a considerable increase in school offers online, despite considerable DfE investment in devices for schools, heads are more concerned than ever about digital poverty.

“This is especially problematic as it impacts on larger families where every child needs a device. Many who are not the poorest do not have enough appropriate IT and sourcing new machines is again very difficult given global demand.

“It is certainly hard not to see poverty induced gaps in opportunity getting even bigger through the pandemic.

“Despite good BBC support for our cause, we have continued to deal in 'token ' amounts, hundreds rather than thousands. Our focus has been working with heads to provide machines for the very neediest, including connectivity guaranteed for a year. Unfortunately schools confirm the unmet need continues to be huge.

“Data published by the DfE show that over 700,000 laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools to date, and the DfE is also offering schemes to help with free data for the neediest families which has really helped - but we keenly need to go on closing the remaining gaps.

“We have setup a JustGiving page for those interested in donating funds rather than devices. The majority of this money will be used to pay for the cleansing / re-purposing of machines, and where necessary to provide connectivity for a family.

“We are working with Intercity to provide the most cost-effective connectivity to homes in Birmingham, and funds to keep providing connectivity is essential.

“We anticipate that these needs will continue after this lockdown has ended - but right now the need is most acute. ”

Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce is encouraging businesses to support the cause and president Steve Allen (pictured) said: “I feel a personal sense of injustice that some children from poorer backgrounds are not being afforded the same opportunities merely because their parents can 't afford to provide laptops and/or internet access.

“I believe passionately that children should be given the very best start in life which is why I 'm 100 per cent behind the campaign by the City Council and BEP Education to raise money to meet the urgent unmet need of digital poverty.

“The Chamber has committed to do everything we can to promote the excellent work already underway by highlighting the need for businesses to donate unused laptops or by making a contribution to the costs of cleaning and repurposing laptops or aiding connectivity. ”

For more information on the initiative, including how to donate old laptops or make a financial contribution, click here.

Several Chamber members are also playing their part in the campaign to eradicate 'digital poverty '.

Former Asian Business Chamber of Commerce president Qasim Majid has set up community interest company Wow Dot CIC to help provide thousands of families with laptops and connectivity, through its Connect_In campaign.

And BT are making WiFi vouchers available to connect to their thousands of hotspots.