Almost 280,000 laptops or other devices “have been or are in the process of being distributed” to pupils, the Scottish Parliament heard this afternoon.
Education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said £25 million had been provided to councils resulting in over 72,000 pupils receiving a device and 14,000 receiving an internet connection.
She added: “We know that a number of local authorities have also invested in technology and they have indicated that, in total, almost 280,000 devices have been or are in the process of being distributed to learners.”
In the run-up to last year’s Scottish Parliament election, the SNP promised every school child a free laptop or device and a free internet connection.
There are around 700,000 pupils in Scotland, so it looks, on the face of it, like the government is making steady progress towards delivering its goal - especially as Ms Somerville said the commitment is for this parliamentary term, meaning there are potentially another four years to deliver.
That, however, prompted Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser, who was pursuing the line of questioning, to quip that some pupils in S2 and S3 now could leave school without benefiting from the programme.
However, Ms Somerville’s comments also suggest any progress towards achieving the government’s device-for-all-students goal is down to councils - not the Scottish government.
The £25 million investment that Somerville cited today was first announced in spring 2020 at the height of the pandemic, when schools had been forced to close their doors and, for most pupils, home learning was the order of the day; they all needed access to technology and an internet connection.
Getting those devices to pupils proved difficult and the government came under fire for its slow progress. It had said the money would pay for 70,000 devices but an investigation revealed by the end of January 2021 - by which time a second national lockdown was in full swing - just 63,382 devices had been delivered. By December 2021, however, that figure had grown to over 72,000.
Today’s statement, however, suggests the number of devices put in the hands of pupils by the government has not grown in the seven months since: 72,000 was again the figure quoted this afternoon.
The implication is, therefore, that any further progress is down to councils and, for those who were paying attention, Ms Somerville acknowledged as much. Authorities such as Glasgow City Council and Scottish Borders Council, of course, committed to rolling out iPads before the pandemic and presumably, these devices are included in the figures.
But what Mr Fraser asked for was for the government to provide “an update on progress towards its commitment to deliver a free laptop or tablet to every school child in Scotland”. And, presumably, by that he meant progress made since the commitment was made, not before.
But it seems that the government’s contribution stalled late last year, and the only cash it can conjure up in support of the pledge was committed in 2020 - which was, of course, before the policy was even announced.
As so often, government proclamations of progress on key manifesto promises are not quite what they seem.
Emma Seith is a reporter at Tes Scotland. She tweets @Emma_Seith
