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Franklin-County-News
A $ 20 million fund was announced to help tertiary students access digital devices and the Internet to continue learning during Covid-19 outages. The Covid-19 coronavirus has impacted the education of many and their ability to earn money to pay for study and living expenses. .
This story was originally published in RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.
A $ 20 million fund has been announced to help tertiary students access digital devices and the Internet to continue learning during Covid-19 outages.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins said the government wanted to ensure that students have adequate support for distance learning.
“We have now established a fund that tertiary education organizations can access, including Wānanga, NZIST and its subsidiaries, universities, transition industry training organizations and private training establishments,” Hipkins said in a statement.
“Tertiary providers are better able to work with their students to identify those most in need during this time. Students should contact their tertiary provider to discuss what kind of support they need.”
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The $ 20 million would pay for about 18,500 students who would connect to the Internet and get a device, but more students will benefit if they only need one or the other, he said.
The New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST) will distribute funds to its 16 affiliates.
A recent survey by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and the New Zealand Grading Authority (NZQA) shows that at least 11,150 students do not have the proper devices to participate in distance education and at least 11,350 students do not have access Broadband Internet at home.
“Many programs are delivered online in response to Covid-19, including courses like carpentry that are traditionally delivered on the job.
“As we rebuild the economy, we need a skilled workforce to keep our sectors as construction moving forward,” Hipkins said in a statement.
The government has already increased the student loan amount available for course-related costs for full-time students from $ 1,000 to $ 2,000 on a temporary basis.
This story was originally published in RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.
