All students need port: ICPA

The National Broadband Network’s Educational Port, released in early 2017, enables school-aged children enrolled in distance education to access up to 50 gigabites of peak internet each month.

Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of SA communications spokesperson Helen Williams, Nilpinna Station, via Coober Pedy, said the change has been welcomed.

She said the previous plan used on their station had only allowed 60GB each month for $55.

“You can imagine how far that goes when you have schoolchildren who have to use it,” she said.

ICPA member Jodie Keogh, Innamincka Station, Innamincka, said the past 12 months with the port had been “excellent”.

“Our costs have gone from $349 to $69 a month,” she said.

“So much of our education content is delivered online, so we need a good plan with big internet.

“With two students who get 50GB each, we never go over the allowance anymore.”

With the initial year of the port such a success, the ICPA would like to see it expanded further to allow children of preschool age, studying through Remote and Isolated Children’s Exercise, or tertiary students to have the same opportunities.

“We want for anybody studying (in remote areas) to be able to access it,” Ms Williams said.

Ms Keogh said the options for people from pastoral areas who wanted further study were limited.

“Tertiary students must leave home, get exorbitant plans or get up at 1am to get offpeak data to download their course information,” she said. “That’s not ideal.”

“Now we’ve seen how the education port has worked in its first year, we want to have those opportunities for more people.”

The SAICPA will meet with the Department for Education and Child Development to ask for the expanded program.