€800k Facebook donation for laptops
SOCIAL media giant Facebook has donated €809,000 to Meath Library Service to help provide almost 900 laptops for local students to use.
The Laptop for Loan Initiative is designed to help bridge the digital divide for fifth year students in Meath
Last Wednesday marked the arrival of the first set of laptops that will be loaned to fifth year and Leaving Cert applied students at Beaufort College in Navan, as part of the Meath County Council Library Service Laptops for Loan initiative funded by Facebook.
“For students to actively engage in remote learning, they need access to a suitable device, such as a laptop, and good quality Internet access in their homes,” commented Jackie Maguire, Meath County Council Chief Executive.
“We are delighted that Beaufort College students in Navan will be the first recipients of the laptop loan scheme with other schools receiving laptops soon after.”
The initiative aims to address the digital divide compounded by the coronavirus outbreak which has caused disproportionate hardship on those students who are disadvantaged or marginalised. The ‘Laptop for Loan’ initiative has two phases. Phase 1 is aimed at students in Meath post-primary schools with 5th year students to be treated as a first priority. Phase 2 will see a laptop loan scheme rolled out to partner organisations, through the library service and to community groups for training purposes.
Beaufort College Principal Angela Crowcock added that their 5th year and Leaving Certificate Applied 1 Groups are the priority.
“They are ending year 1 of their two year senior cycle and have missed a lot of course work,” explained Ms Crowcock. “There are 100 students in total and we are most grateful to be considered for the laptop loan initiative.”
Both Facebook, with its Clonee Data Centre in Meath, and the Meath County Council Library Service are committed to supporting students during this challenging time and are partnering to help students stay connected and continue their education from home.
The €809,100 donation will enable Meath Library Service to purchase nearly 900 laptops and wifi dongles which will support 50% of fifth year students and Leaving Certificate Applied students who do not have digital devices to continue their studies from home. The laptops will also be made available for the wider community to use when restrictions are lifted in the future.
‘Meath is our home and we want to support people, especially young people, in their education. We know this period of school closures has been enormously difficult for all school students, but particularly those who do not have access to a suitable device at home for remote learning,” Aoife Flynn, Community Engagement Development Manager at Facebook’s Clonee Data Centre added. “The Meath Library service proposal was extremely impressive, and the scale of the need in the Leaving Cert cycle is evident. We hope this will have a positive impact for students.”