Dr. Ann Marcus-Quinn:

I will take the Deputy's second question first, if I may. Schools get some grants for the provision of digital devices at post-primary level. There has been a welcome increase in that funding in recent years, particularly since the pandemic, but how that process is treated differs from the process where devices are purchased by parents. When public money is involved, a formal tender process must be gone through, but when the devices are funded by parents, there is nothing in place. A school can decide to roll out whatever plan or policy it wants. There is nothing to stop an individual principal or school from dictating that each incoming student must buy a top-of-the-range Apple or Microsoft product even when the student's requirements may not necessitate such a device and something more basic would fulfil the same role, for example, a Chromebook or, in early years education, a Raspberry Pi.

We see a different attitude towards what is expected of parents' spending between primary and secondary levels. In primary school, parents typically do not have to furnish their child with a device and the purse is more wisely spent. For example, there is greater use of Chromebooks and such and there is a shared trolley system. Children may be using tablets, but everything is much more organised. How schools operate at primary level is different because the teacher has a base classroom and things can be stored within it.

We need to examine how schools are making decisions on what devices they are buying, as there is inequality. Where schools have a bring-your-own-device policy, there is a significant mix in the classroom. In the consultation on a digital strategy, approximately half of students reported that they had a bring your own device system in place, with a mix of laptops, tablets and smartphones being used in the classroom. There is little equity, though. In some cases, one child uses a damaged screen in battery stamina mode to complete the spot Kahoot! - Kahoot! is a popular programme – assigned to the class while another in the class uses a top-of-the-range Microsoft Surface or the like with a large screen. There is no comparison between those two teaching and learning experiences in the same classroom, yet the children will face the same assessment. There is an issue with a minimum standard of quality and what people are expected to purchase.

The Deputy's first question was on how many students went on to study STEM subjects. I am sorry, but that is outside my area and I am unsure as to how many go on to study STEM.