A reliable internet connection is “essential”, yet it is far from a given in Scottish schools, the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) has warned.

More than a decade ago, in 2013, figures showing huge disparities in the quality of internet connections among Scottish schools were branded a “national disgrace”.

All these years later, however, the SSTA has indicated that teachers’ work is still being undermined in large parts of Scotland by poor connectivity.

One SSTA delegate even reported that some teachers had to surreptitiously flout a “no mobiles” policy in classrooms because the wi-fi was so bad - to download essential documents students had to set aside their council-issued iPads and turn to their own phones.

High-quality wi-fi deemed essential in schools

At the SSTA annual conference in Glasgow last Friday, a motion put forward by Dumfries and Galloway teacher Derek Harris - and overwhelmingly supported - stated that “access to the internet in all secondary schools is essential and connectivity should be reliable”. This echoes expert views that poor connectivity rather than limited access to devices is a bigger barrier to schools embracing technology.

The SSTA called on the Scottish government and local authorities to “ensure every school has wi-fi internet that has appropriate bandwidth and speed that is fit for purpose”.

The motion also stated that “ease of access to class sets of mobile devices in schools should be an expectation not the exception”, calling for local and national government to “fund and set out clear targets to make handheld online learning devices available to every learner”.

In March, it emerged that the Scottish government had scaled back its 2021 promise to provide a free laptop or other digital device to every pupil in the country.

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“The internet has become a fundamental tool for learning and teaching - communication is not just a luxury, it’s a necessity,” said Mr Harris (pictured below), at the SSTA conference.

“In today’s digital age, a reliable internet connection is essential for accessing educational resources, conducting research and fostering collaboration among students and teachers.”

He added that classrooms now extended into a “digital realm” that offered “endless opportunities for exploration and creativity” - but that these can only be “fully realised if every secondary school in Scotland has access to a robust and dependable internet infrastructure”.

‘Cornerstone of a fair and just education system’

Mr Harris said that, for teachers, “ease of access to technology should be an expectation, not an exception”, and that “equitable access to technology” should be seen as a “cornerstone of a fair and just education system”.

Reliable internet connections in all schools would help “create an environment where all students, regardless of their background, can thrive”.

“Technology is evolving rapidly and our network infrastructures need to keep pace,” said Mr Harris. “Regular review and update are essential to ensuring that we prepare for whatever the future holds.”

He also said that “we must ensure that everyone has access to handheld devices - that’s a matter of equity and opportunity”, adding: “The Scottish government and local authorities must commit to providing these devices and necessary funding to set clear targets to achieve this goal.”

Mr Harris said that this would “unlock new potential for personalised learning collaboration projects and globalised connections”.

He concluded by supporting his call for “reliable connectivity” and “equitable access to technology”, and said SSTA delegates were taking “a significant step towards creating an educational system that is inclusive and innovative, and prepared for the future”.

Another teacher, supporting the motion, outlined some of the practical difficulties of using technology in the classroom.

‘Colluding’ with students to circumvent mobile phone policies

Sometimes teachers had to “collude” with students, for example, by turning a blind eye to rules that required mobile phones to be switched off.

Some essential files were too large for school networks to cope with, he said, so there was “no choice but saying to kids to put their iPads down and get their phones out” in order to access these documents.

In England, a survey in February found that schools’ wi-fi was generally reliable, but that there continued to be a divide between rural and urban schools.

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