Call for digital equity guarantee to tackle education divide

A new report highlights the need for a Digital Equity Learning Guarantee to prevent a widening digital divide in Australian education.

The report, "Securing Digital Equity in Australian Education," was published by the Chair of the Australian Network for Quality Digital Education. It urges policymakers to address disparities in digital access, data, and design, to ensure equitable access to educational technology for all students.

The findings are presented by Professor Leslie Loble AM, a former Chair of the Australian Education Ministerial Council's Schooling Policy Group, and Dr Kelly Stephens, Director of Edtech and Education Policy. The report examines digital equity across areas such as access, data, design, and effective use, through case studies of schools across Australia with varying socioeconomic backgrounds.

Professor Loble emphasised the urgent need to address these issues, stating, "Edtech has significant potential to bridge the learning divide, but it is not a silver bullet for education. Digital tools are only as good as their design and their use – and in Australia we can already see the warning signs of these tools amplifying disadvantage across all fronts."

She pointed out the risks associated with underuse, adding, "While there are thousands of assistive technology tools available for our schools, there is a huge gap between the education potential this represents and the reality of students who do not have ready access to appropriate devices and services."

The report notes a significant disparity in digital resource access, with over 20% of students in disadvantaged schools lacking digital resources, compared to just 2% in wealthier schools.

The proposed Digital Equity Learning Guarantee aims to provide free or low-cost access to digital devices and connectivity for disadvantaged students. It also recommends resources to improve digital skills and AI literacy, as well as professional development opportunities for teachers to utilise digital tools effectively.

Professor Loble stated, "Improving digital access, including digital literacy for teachers and school resourcing, is the bedrock of digital inclusion in education and should be a priority for policymakers. But how we approach issues of data, design, and use are equally critical."

The report includes case studies of schools effectively using edtech to support disadvantaged students, such as the Living First Language Platform and Indigital, which focus on Aboriginal community priorities and data sovereignty.

John Bush, Head of Young People at the Paul Ramsay Foundation, commented on the research findings: "We know that many Australian children don't have what they need to thrive at school, including access to digital resources. While there's an opportunity for AI-based edtech to be a bridge to greater digital inclusion and improve learning outcomes, there is also a real risk that AI will exacerbate that digital divide."

The Australian Network for Quality Digital Education, which produced the report, is comprised of leaders from education, industry, social purpose, and philanthropic organisations, as well as government and research sectors. The network aims to ensure that all Australian students benefit from the best educational technology available and effectively address the learning divide.

The effort to establish digital equity is supported by inaugural funding from the Paul Ramsay Foundation and sponsorship from Amy Persson, Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor (Social Justice and Inclusion) at the University of Technology Sydney.