Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Today, I wish to speak about a forgotten subject. Education is at the heart of discussions in Ireland right now and it is at the heart of the political argument and debate. Every single child has the right to an education but the pandemic has taught us that not every child has that equal right to be successful within the education system. Before the pandemic, we obviously knew of the inequalities of the digital divide but that has come to the fore. Everyone of us has a responsibility to make sure that children in Ireland have equal access to education.

I raised this issue in the House six months ago. I spoke about children who are living in very disadvantages areas who do not have equal access, who do not have money to buy laptops and who do not even have a space to study. It is a topic and a conversation that is low on the Government's agenda but it should be brought up to the very top of the agenda right now.

If we look at some studies from 2020, the ESRI report tells us that children from disadvantaged areas suffered the most during the pandemic because of the digital divide. Also, young men, women and children in counties such as Donegal still do not have equal access to broadband. Companies such as Three provide SIM cards. It is not the responsibility of companies and volunteers to provide these services. This is something the Government and especially the Department of Education needs to take on because we cannot say that all children have a right to education when all children do not have access to that right of education.

I know of many young children who have to go to their local school once a week to get their books, copies, homework and week's work from the teacher. That child and mother and the extended family are put at risk by having to go to the school to collect that information and material. Last week a young mother got in contact with me. She had six children who were all sharing an android phone. The inequality in the context of the digital divide is very evident. More than 42% of Irish people say they are not well skilled in digital technology. We need to run a campaign on this.

This issue is so important and if I have to raise it every single week until it is heard, then it is something I will keep doing. It is an issue that has fallen between the gaps and it is the children who are unfortunately the ones losing out.