Covid-19 exposed 'digital divide' facing parents

The main digital constraints were access to devices, dependency on one device, and data access, where many parents only had phone data bundles insufficient for the bandwidth demands of remote learning, the study found.

Home school community liaison co-ordinators have highlighted the "digital divide" faced by many parents from disadvantaged backgrounds during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The finding is included in a new study carried out by researchers at Trinity College Dublin's School of Education, with the home school community liaison co-ordinators (HSCLs) reporting that some parents felt overwhelmed and had been "running out of steam", while also facing very practical issues like a shortage of food and heating.