Many school districts report that thousands of students lack computers to cope with remote classes that have been in place due to closures caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. When public spaces were ordered into lockdown, schools across the entire nation purchased scores of devices several months ago to help students prepare for the at-home schooling instructions to manage these closures. 

However, there is still a significant computer shortage due to strong demand and supply-chain disruptions that have left schools scrambling and children unable to progress their studies alongside peers. Several administrators are unsure of whether they can guarantee their students laptops or tablets even though they prepared and placed orders well in advance to soften remote learning challenges. 

Chromebooks by Alphabet Inc.’s Google have also succumbed to supply shortages. These low-cost laptops experienced a historical surge in demand, tightening supply since more parents and children are working from home. These distributional problems upended device makers because nobody planned for such an upside between virtual students and work from home adults. Gregg Prendergast, the president of Acer, stated, “A combination of supply-chain disruption, a lot of money from government stimulus, and schools all moving to distance learning created a perfect storm for tight supply.” 

This shortage of computers in school districts has also exacerbated inequality, as parents of well-off students can fund their own while others cannot afford to. Schools were also informed that delays are linked to U.S. sanctions against Chinese manufacturing companies accused of human rights abuses responsible for supplying laptop components. This caused further hardship for low-income families to purchase cheaper computers for their children due to fewer inexpensive models in stock. 

Unlike parents who can turn to the retail market at their own expense, schools cannot buy laptops or tablets in bulk the same way. This is because retailers limit how many products a single consumer can purchase. Younger students also require features that only off-the-shelf laptops provide compared to the usual retail models as these are designed explicitly for school-use without complicated features. 

Some parents are sharing their own computers with children at home by creating a timetable. However, this is not feasible and causes many learning disruptions. Children need their own systems to grasp educational tools to follow the same lessons as their classmates. They should not have to struggle without the right computer while their friends are at home using pricier models bought by parents. EPI researchers concluded, “The hardships they (students) are facing are widespread. The lack of remote learning for many due to the digital divide is just a small tip of the iceberg of factors impeding a sound education for all students during this time. Once school buildings reopen, we must make large and targeted investments in strategies to address the consequences of the current challenges and lift up all students going forward.”