The Digital Poverty Alliance, a charity focused on ending digital poverty in the UK by 2030, has introduced Tech4Learning, a new digital learning initiative to provide schools with laptops and desktop devices for underprivileged children to use in class and at home with appropriate learning tools. The devices will come from donations and use the UK HMRC’s Gift Aid tax rebate and exemption scheme to maximize the scheme’s ability to help.
The initiative works with schools around the UK to collect monthly donations from wealthy parents using HMRC’s Gift Aid forms. This funding is then utilized to provide schools with a ready-to-use laptop or desktop computer for a child’s education. Education in the United Kingdom increasingly relies on digital devices for teaching, revision, homework, and extended research, replacing the usual class excursion to the ICT suite. The new blended method needs children to have laptops, tablets, or smartphones to access digital resources; yet, during the epidemic, one in every five children lacked access to such devices.
Tech4Learning acts as a Donation Management Service (DMS), ensuring every pupil benefits, irrespective of whether a donation is made to the programme. As part of the DMS, schools will work with parents and donors to raise money, which the Digital Poverty Alliance will use to purchase devices for students and provide free training workshops for School Programme administrators.
Commenting on the initiative, Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, said:
Students in the UK education system haven’t had an easy time over recent years, juggling a pandemic, an unstable economy, and political change, magnifying the challenges that digital exclusion causes within education. Digital isn’t the future of education; it’s the now, and access to a personal device to support online learning, homework, and studying is required. Many of us take this for granted, but for millions, they are left at a considerable disadvantage.
Anderson added:
The Tech4Learning scheme has been implemented to tackle the issue at source, working directly with schools to raise donations for laptops and distribute devices to those who need them most. With the help of schools and local communities, we can help provide children with a fair education catalyzed by the benefits that technology has to offer. We rely on the next generation to lead us into the future, but how can we expect that to happen if millions cannot get online?
Under Tech4Learning, the Digital Poverty Alliance has invested in BeaconCRM, streamlining charity donation collection and management to scale the scheme across schools throughout the UK.
According to new research from Pearson and the Centre for Economics and Business Research, investing in school technology will boost the UK economy by £8.7 billion. Technology in schools has the potential to return up to £7.90 for every £1 invested, which could help provide devices, boost broadband, and empower teachers.
The Digital Poverty Alliance is an independent charity. It was initially a Learning Foundation initiative, which was introduced in 2021 by the Foundation, Currys plc, and the Institute of Engineering and Technology. In 2024, the DPA became the public-facing brand and working name of the Learning Foundation, which was established in 2001. It aims to convene, compel and inspire collaboration for the UK community to lead sustainable action against digital poverty. The organization’s vision is to live in a world that enables everyone to access the life-changing benefits that digital technology brings.
