NGO Races To Find Computers For Poor Children

The Society for Community Organization (Soco) said on Sunday that it is scrambling to find computers for students from poor families so they can join online classes when the new academic year begins this week.

The group said hundreds are at risk of missing out on lessons being provided via the internet rather than on campus, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Soco said a recent survey it carried out involving more than 700 children from grassroots families found that around 40 percent did not have a computer at home.

It added that some children who do have a computer to hand don't have internet access in their flats, or are hampered by very slow connection speeds.

The group said the government was failing to look after the needs of children in poverty and the authorities should ensure that all students have access to both a computer and the internet.

Soco recommended that money available under the Community Care Fund for low-income students to purchase computers and software should be made a regular subsidy for eligible families.

Another option, the group said, would be for schools to allow students to go onto campus to use computers at staggered times.

"In March, we already put all these suggestions to the Education Bureau. But they turn a blind eye," said Sze Lai-shan, a community organiser with Soco.

"We are calling for donations of computers and actually, we keep on buying computers for the students, but we still lack a few hundred," she added.