More than a thousand schools now have access to extra equipment to assist online learning for the start of Term 3.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said a major operation has been undertaken so that thousands of devices and supplies are available for schools across the state.
“We have acquired an additional 12,000 devices and are currently distributing thousands of them to the schools that need them,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Last term, we surveyed schools to make sure they were still prepared for learning from home. This proactive approach allowed us to identify and rapidly plug any gaps in technology access, devices, and support in our schools.
“I’m confident in our schools’ ability to continue managing the pandemic, and in our teachers’ commitment to putting the education of their students first.”
The Department of Education has secured an additional 7000 laptops and 5000 dongles. This is in addition to the more than 13,000 devices and 8,000 dongles provided to support learning from home in 2020.
“We are working with vendors to secure even more equipment, should it be required,” Ms Mitchell said.
More hygiene and safety supplies are also being sent to schools across NSW so they can operate in a COVID-Safe way throughout the Term.
“All schools are receiving top-up supplies for Term 3, including packs of masks, hand sanitiser and surface wipes,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The health of students and staff during the pandemic has always been our priority, and parents should feel confident their child’s school is well equipped to keep them as safe as possible.”
Deliveries are underway and all schools will receive a starter pack by today.
In total, these include approximately:
- Masks – 440,000
- Hand sanitiser – 250,000 bottles
- Wipes – 320,000 wipes
- Gloves – 320,000 wipes
- Hand Soap – 130,000 bottles
An additional 9.3 million masks will be sent to schools across the state by the end of next week.