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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Charities seek to help students study at home amid alert
A schoolgirl in Hualien County uses a tablet computer to study on May 19. Photo courtesy of Wu Wan-lin
By Yang Mien-chieh and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer
World Vision Taiwan and other charities are teaming up with private businesses to provide Internet access and computers to students who need them for distance learning amid a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert.
A computer with Internet access has become a necessity for students, as the alert and remote-learning measures have been extended to June 14, but not every household has equal access.
According to a World Vision Taiwan report released earlier this year, 83 percent of households served by the charity lack Internet access, while 43 percent do not have a digital device for personal use and 22 percent lack both.
Meanwhile, 60.6 percent of households served by the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families do not have a computer, tablet or other digital device necessary for remote learning.
World Vision Taiwan has created two donation programs aimed at providing equipment and digital literacy training needed for underprivileged children to successfully learn from home.
The first program would provide households in need with laptop computers, Internet and online learning resources, as well as guidance on how to safely navigate the Internet, the group said.
The second would set up digital classrooms with diversified programs suitable for children, as well as digital literacy lessons to supplement education in underserved areas, it added.
The Taiwan Mobile Foundation has also partnered with World Vision Taiwan, the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, and other charities for its “One Person, One Tablet” project, which aims to collect 619 tablets for families in need.
The telecom has already pledged 100 tablets, and is asking people to donate devices so that students “do not lose their right to learn due to a lack of equipment.”
Even if a family has a computer, it is not necessarily powerful enough to meet the requirements for online learning, the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families said.
The charity called on the public to lend a helping hand so that all children are able to learn.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
