Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated progress towards a digital society. Within a few months of its arrival in Australia, schools, universities, government services, businesses and families adapted to new ways of working and staying connected. We saw a significant increase in remote working, online businesses and online education. These trends highlight the imperative of a workforce that is proficient in using digital technologies—one that can create new ways of working, learning and interacting. Innovation in using digital technologies is important for Queensland to be nationally and internationally competitive and for our continued economic wellbeing.

Using video conferencing and online learning as part of daily practice in classrooms gives students opportunities to improve their proficiency in digital technology. To offer these opportunities, the Department of Education (the department) and schools need to provide digital technologies and the supporting infrastructure in an efficient and consistent manner across the entire state. They can then embed digital literacy into daily learning practices.

The purpose of this audit brief is to share key facts about how the department is reliably connecting learners and staff of state schools to digital resources and online content. It focuses on:

• student access to the internet and devices (such as computers, laptops, and tablets)
• technology infrastructure that connects schools to the department, to the internet, and to learning and student administration systems
• required planning and investment to improve internet speeds and digital technologies.

Figure A shows the main facts about the department’s technology intended to support digital learning.

Figure A—Key facts on technology to support digital learning

For more information

For more information on the issues and opportunities highlighted in this summary, please see the full report.

We have also published an interactive map of Queensland on our website that allows you to explore the financial performance of Queensland's education entities (including information on revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities, and other measures such as student and staff numbers) and compare internet speeds per student by region, school information technology (IT) funding, student access to the internet and devices.