The National Federation of Teachers’ Unions has called on the Ministry of Education to address students’ lack of access to equipment for online learning as they study from home.
Since May 19, schools at all levels have been ordered by the ministry to suspend in-person instruction and move to online learning from home as part of a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert.
In a statement on Friday, the federation said that 27 percent of 960 high-school teachers that it surveyed earlier this month said that there were students in their classes who were unable to learn because they lacked equipment or software.
Photo courtesy of the Hsinchu County Government
The federation said that it also asked teachers whether their schools had provided equipment to those students and resolved the issue.
While 72 percent of teachers said that the problem had been resolved, 28 percent said that their students still lacked the means to engage in online learning, it said.
Based on the results of the poll and the number of high-school classes across the nation, the federation said that at least 1,474 high-school students might be unable to participate in online learning because of a lack of equipment.
Although the figure might seem low compared with the total number of high-school students — 640,000 — the federation said it believes that it is “a serious omission.”
Education authorities should immediately request that all schools verify whether students have sufficient means to study via online programs and immediately supply those in need with the appropriate equipment, to prevent students from falling behind, it said.
The federation has also received reports from several teachers that many students who are using a cellphone to participate in online learning have asked their schools for assistance in providing a tablet, but the schools have refused, saying that cellphones were adequate, it said.
Other teachers have reported that parents have declined to accept loans of equipment from schools because they were worried that they would be required to compensate school officials for any damage, it said.
Such issues urgently need to be resolved by education authorities, the federation said.
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