Question reference: S6W-11096
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 30 September 2022
-
Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 October 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the roll-out of free digital devices for school children in West Lothian.
Answer
£25m digital inclusion funding was made available by Scottish Government in 2020-21 for local authorities to use to support learners, in line with their own local needs. This funding supported the provision of 14,000 internet connections and 72,000 tablets or laptops for learners across all local authorities. This included 2,905 devices in West Lothian.
A number of local authorities have also invested their own funding in technology and have distributed connections and devices to learners in line with their own digital strategies.
This is a complex and ambitious commitment, and we are currently undertaking preparatory work, including looking in detail at the available infrastructure in schools. We continue to work with local authorities on plans to ensure every school-aged child has access to a device and connectivity by the end of this parliamentary term.