HUNDREDS of Dubbo residents can’t afford internet services or computers at their homes and it is a serious issue for school students who need web-access for their studies.

The Smith Family helps at least 112 families which don’t live with the internet or a computer. 

The organisation said it was relaunching the Tech Packs program which provides families with a refurbished computer and 12 months web access.

The Macquarie Regional Library said its 16 public access computers were regularly booked out by people without access to the internet from opening to closing time. 

The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program provides both financial and practical educational support for children of disadvantaged families, and Dubbo co-ordinator Dawn Redding said she sees first hand the impact limited computer access has on students.

She said even those who do have computers often struggle to complete online homework. 

“Internet access is an extra cost for the family. Often the computer is so slow it can’t handle the internet anyway or the internet runs out very quickly,” Ms Redding said.

Ms Redding said the children are unable to complete assigned homework tasks, but don’t speak up in class about the problem.

“Sometimes they won’t say anything because they’re embarrassed they can’t do it at home, or they think they’ll be dobbing in their parents for not having the money to pay for it.” 

Nationally, The Smith Family said around one-third of children aged 5 to 14 living in the country’s most disadvantaged communities didn’t have access to the internet at home, despite 85 per cent of the age group reporting they use the internet for education purposes. 

Ms Redding said paying for necessities like food and electricity were a much higher priority for the families. The Learning for Life afternoon homework centre in Dubbo provides access to the internet through the Smith Family’s three computers and additional tablets, but due to a lack of volunteers, Ms Redding said there were only eight local children who could utilise the technology.

“That means there are 580 kids who miss out.”

Director John Bayliss said free computer and internet services could be accessed at the Macquarie Regional Library.

“There are still many people who do not have access to the internet in their home or people who do not have good connectivity if they live out of town,” Mr Bayliss said.

“Despite the cost of computers coming down and the access to ADSL increasing, the computers are a consistently used service in all of our branches,” he said. 

The director said use of the library’s free, two-hour WI-FI for those with a laptop or smart phone has also increased.

To assist disadvantaged families who could not afford a computer, Learning for Life coordinator Sonia Strachan said The Smith Family were re-introducing the Tech Packs program. 

For $50 families in need are provided with a refurbished computer and 12 months internet access.

The computers will be supplied to 27 families in the region by the end of the year, along with free tech support for the year and basic computer training, such as how to use word processing programs and why it is important to put the computer in a place where parents can monitor their children.

At the end of the 12 months, the family are able to keep the computer but are required to fund their own internet.

The program was available to Dubbo residents in 2011, but was stopped because of a lack of funding.

Ms Redding said Tech Packs would have a big impact for the students, allowing them to complete homework tasks, study for assessments and improve their overall computer skills at home.