A Brisbane school has halted plans to have parents buy laptops for children from year 4, citing rising device costs and cost-of-living pressures as eastern states move to reduce classroom screen time.
Corinda State School, in south-west Brisbane, will delay an overhaul of its one-for-one iPad program for years 4 to 6, which had been planned after a vote by parents and school leaders last year. Instead, the school will offer school-owned devices shared between two students for a year, until families buy their own laptops for years 5 and 6.
Principal Carmel Herbert announced the delay in a school newsletter, blaming “a recent escalation in the price of laptops, along with increased cost-of-living expenses”. Parents said school officials and families had felt wary about buying into a potentially costly device program while the role of technology in classrooms was being debated.
The decision comes as Queensland holds a different course from other eastern states. The Queensland government favours a “balance” between traditional and digital teaching, while NSW plans to pare back screen use in classrooms next year, capping student screen time at as little as 15 minutes in some settings after test results fell.
Individual schools in Queensland control how devices are used in classrooms, but state and national curriculums require them to be used across all subject areas, leaving schools to weigh the cost of hardware against the demands of the curriculum.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The delay spares Corinda families a new outlay on laptops at a time of cost-of-living pressure, though the purchase is only postponed to years 5 and 6.
- The decision places a Queensland school on the cautious side of a widening state divide over screens in classrooms.
- It may signal that other Queensland schools will wait for clearer policy before committing parents to device-buying programs.
Background
Queensland state schools have run one-to-one device programs for years, with individual schools deciding how devices are used in classrooms. The state government has resisted the kind of screen-time limits adopted elsewhere, favouring a “balance” between traditional and digital teaching. NSW, by contrast, plans to cut classroom screen time next year, capping it at as little as 15 minutes in some cases after test results fell. Classroom technology is also written into state and national curriculums, which require devices to be used across subject areas, so schools cannot simply drop them.
Key Perspectives
Corinda State School: Principal Carmel Herbert says the delay responds to rising laptop prices and cost-of-living pressures, and the school will provide shared school-owned devices for a year instead.
Queensland government: Continues to favour a balance between traditional and digital teaching and has not followed interstate moves to wind back classroom screen time.
Critics and sceptics: Parents and school officials were wary of committing to a costly program while the direction of classroom technology policy remains uncertain, and the curriculum still requires device use across all subjects.
What to Watch
- Whether the one-year shared-device arrangement holds and whether families are asked to buy laptops for years 5 and 6 as planned.
- Whether other Queensland schools delay or cancel similar device programs while the screen-time debate continues.
- Any response from the Queensland government to NSW's screen-time curbs, including possible guidance for schools.