Tablets given to kids most in need

The Taitokerau Education Trust wants to supply computer tablets to needy Northland schoolkids. Photo / File

A Whangarei charitable trust is about to launch a campaign to provide 800 computer tablets to needy schoolkids in the district after a successful trial gave out 300 tablets across six schools.

The Taitokerau Education Trust is a Whangarei-based incorporated trust that has been set up by to provide equity and access to modern learning pedagogies that are proven to improve the educational achievement and engagement of students. This year the trust launched a pilot programme with six Whangarei schools under the name Te Puawai Digital Immersion Cluster. The trust's ultimate goal is to put a tablet in the schoolbag of every poor Northland student.

Trust chairwoman Jo Brosnahan said the pilot was such a success that on Tuesday the trust will launch the next stage - putting another 800 tablets into Whangarei schools next year. She said the project will ultimately be Northland-wide, but Whangarei is the initial focus.

Te Puawai Digital has been successfully led by Manaia View School in the initial roll out of e-learning and other programmes aimed at raising student achievement. The other schools are Hikurangi Primary, Whangarei Intermediate, Te Kura Otangarei, Whau Valley Primary and Tikipunga High School. The schools range from decile 1 to 5 and the majority of students are Maori.

"The principal of Hikurangi saw it as a trial, but within a month or two realised the difference it was making for the children and saw it as the way forward," Ms Brosnahan said.

She said the children were trained in how to use the tablets and the 20/20 Trust, which is part of the project, will provide training for any parents who want to learn.

Ms Brosnahan said the cost of tablets - about $500 each for the trust - is an impediment to many families and the trust will buy the tablets with families paying them off over time. That money will then be reinvested into more tablets.

"There are a number of benefits. The children are more engaged, truancy decreases and it allows them to be more savvy in the technology of their generation," she said.

The trust has partnered with Northpower Fibre, 20/20 Trust, Oxford Sports Trust, YHPJ Chartered Accountants and Orbit Audit for the project, which will be launched at Forum North, from 5.30pm on November 3.