Aontú representative for Clare, June Dillon, has said that while digital technology undoubtedly has a place in modern education, no parent should feel under pressure to purchase expensive devices such as iPads in order for their child to participate fully in school life.
Ms Dillon said she has spoken to a growing number of families who feel increasingly anxious about the expectation that they will purchase digital devices for school use, often at considerable expense and at a time when many households are already struggling with the rising cost of living.
“As a mother of school-going children myself, I understand the financial pressures facing families because I see them every day,” she said.
“Parents are already carrying the cost of uniforms, voluntary contributions, transport, lunches, after-school activities and countless other expenses that come with raising children. For many families, September already feels like a second Christmas bill arriving just eight months later.”
“Technology has an important role to play in education and there is certainly a place for the sensible and limited use of devices in schools. However, there is a world of difference between using technology as a tool and creating an expectation that every family must purchase costly devices simply so their child can participate fully in class.”
“There is undoubtedly a place for technology in education and there are circumstances where devices can be an extremely useful learning tool. However, there is a difference between preparing children for a digital world and asking them to live entirely through a screen. The question is not whether technology belongs in education; it plainly does. The question is whether technology is serving education, or education is being asked to serve technology.”
Ms Dillon pointed to a growing body of international research suggesting that traditional learning methods continue to offer significant educational advantages for many children.
“A growing body of educational and neuroscientific research suggests that many students achieve better comprehension and retention when engaging with complex material on paper rather than on screens, particularly where deep reading and sustained concentration are required.
A 2018 meta-analysis published in the journal Computers & Education by researcher Yongsheng Kong found that reading on paper produced better reading comprehension outcomes than reading on screens, while a 2019 systematic review led by Professor Virginia Clinton of the University of North Dakota identified a small but consistent advantage for paper reading in both comprehension and students’ awareness of how well they understood what they had read.”
“Indeed, some of the countries that were among the earliest and strongest advocates of digital-first classrooms are now reassessing that approach. Sweden, once regarded as a European leader in classroom digitalisation, has in recent years invested heavily in textbooks, school libraries and reduced screen exposure for younger children under its policy of ‘more books and less screen time’. Swedish policymakers have argued that technology should support education, not replace the fundamentals of reading, writing and concentration upon which education depends.”
“Parents want their children to learn coding, but they also want them to learn cursive. They want them to master technology, but not at the expense of mastering reading, writing and concentration. These are not competing ambitions; a good education system should deliver both.”
Ms Dillon said the financial implications for larger families could be particularly severe.
“For a household with three or four children, the cost of purchasing iPads could quickly rise into the thousands of euro. That is before e-books are uploaded, a single school lunch is packed or a single uniform is purchased.”
“Many parents are already making difficult decisions between heating bills, grocery bills and household expenses. The last thing any family needs is another major cost being added to the school bag.”
“There is something fundamentally unfair about telling parents that school books are free while quietly replacing them with devices that can cost several hundred euro each.”
“A good education should never depend on the size of a parent’s bank account.”
“Parents should be free to choose the learning methods that best suit their children without feeling under pressure to make expensive purchases they simply cannot afford.”
Ms Dillon concluded by calling for schools and policymakers to ensure that digital learning enhances education without creating new financial barriers for families.
“In a compassionate and inclusive education system, no child should feel left behind because their parents could not afford the latest device. Education should open doors, not send invoices through them.”