12% Of Maltese Children Still Do Not Own A Computer In Their Own Home
A large number of Maltese children – as much as 12% – still live in a household without a computer.
It may surprise many, but the results emerged through a 1900-person MISCO survey launched by the Lisa Maria Foundation.
The study was launched to determine what effects the pandemic had on children’s activities, and many other startling findings emerged.
It was revealed that 87% of those who participated in the survey were concerned about their family’s health, while 61% of students claimed to be ‘afraid of the future’.
The results were of some concern, considering the major reliance on online learning that took place after the COVID-19 pandemic became a mainstay in our lives.
So much so, that the Foundation took to address the findings in a symposium that took place on 18th March. An event attended by no less than 30 professionals in the field.
Experts attending the symposium concluded that owning a computer should be a child’s fundamental right. Arguably, not even one computer per household was enough to ensure a child’s access to learning would be curbed.
In addition, each household should have a strong internet connection.
In November 2021, a €2 million scheme was launched by the government which will see some 2,300 low-income families be able to get a laptop and €300 worth of internet.
In March 2021, former Education Minister Justyne Caruana announced that the state would provide free WiFi and electronic equipment to students without internet connections or access to equipment that help them key into online learning.
Students without computers, laptops, or tablets were given a computer for free if they applied by mid-April that year. This was shortly before schools fully went online in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regardless, a significant amount of students remain without access to online learning. A risky ordeal considering our society’s reliance on online information.
Do you think more needs to be done to make sure all Maltese children have access to computers at home?