Tech donation helps students complete studies at home
YOUNG people across Derby will be able to continue their online studies at home after a Hazelwood company donated dozens of laptops and bought a host of dongles to allow them to bridge the city’s digital divide.
The children, who attend a number of schools in the city’s most deprived areas, have all taken delivery of the new technology in the past few weeks, courtesy of staff at county chemical firm Lubrizol.
The company stepped up after hearing how thousands of pupils across the city were falling behind in their studies because they were unable to log on to lessons taking place over the internet during the most recent lockdown.
Earlier this month, Lubrizol gave 23 unwanted laptops to Derby City Council’s organisation Enterprise for Education as part of the Digital Divide Derby appeal, which has been led by Derby County Community Trust and aims to help families experiencing digital poverty.
Fifteen of the laptops were
donated to The Bemrose School, while the remaining eight have been distributed to other schools across the city.
Lubrizol has also donated £250 to the St James Church of England Junior School in Reginald Street to purchase dongles and online data to allow more students to access online learning during lockdown.
Although all students are now back at school, the technology will continue to be useful because it will allow them to complete their homework and return to online lessons if a year group or individual has to self-isolate.
Scott Conroy, IT manager for Lubrizol UK said: “We change our laptops every few years and as part of this process we ensure that they are sent away and are reused. When we heard that laptops were needed in Derby, we all decided we wanted to send some of them to students and it’s wonderful to think that they are now being used by the scientists of tomorrow who might well end up working for Lubrizol one day.”