The Liberal Democrats have passed a motion at their Spring Conference which calls for greater measures to be taken to increase access in education. This includes:
- Ensuring every disadvantaged family and students have access to broadband that would be sufficient enough for home learning.
- The use of 4G/5G routers as a temporary fix for places without a proper broadband infrastructure, in order to improve internet access in parts of the country where internet speeds are slow.
- Greater communication between Universities and Government to allow them to deliver bursaries.
Following the passing of the motion, Education Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “Lockdown has demonstrated the stark digital divide that exists within and between communities. Students have suffered massive disruption to their education throughout the pandemic, and online learning has been insufficient for many.
“The impact for those students who don’t have a laptop or tablet of their own or a reliable internet connection has been particularly severe.
“The Liberal Democrats have passed a motion calling for more help to students who are digitally excluded.
“There is a very real sense for many students that their university experience has been diminished and they have not received the education they expected. We must do more to ensure every student gets the support they need while the disruption to their courses continues.”