Vodafone Foundation Survey: parents in Portugal and Romania strongly support the idea of digital skills development in schools

Europe should standardize its approach to teaching digital skills for better preparation of children and to reduce regional disparities, according to a new survey by the Vodafone Foundation targeting parents in 10 European countries. The study highlights concerns about the quality of digital tools available to students in schools and the need for better support and training for teachers. The full study can be consulted here.

The survey, conducted among 10,000 respondents, European parents, and carried out by IPSOS Germany for the Vodafone Foundation, found that while parents are optimistic about the potential of digital technology in education, actions are needed to ensure the consistency of resources and infrastructure to enhance digital skills training opportunities for students throughout Europe.

Survey Results:

• 85% of the parents surveyed believe that their child’s career prospects largely depend on digital skills, but only three-quarters (78%) believe that the use of digital tools such as laptops, tablets, and digital boards could help children learn at school.

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• Access to digital tools in schools varies significantly across European countries. British, Dutch, and Portuguese students have the highest rates of access (87%-88%), while the percentage drops to around 70% for Hungarian, Italian, and Greek students.

• Overall, just over half of the schools offer online teaching, and only 59% of them provide students with a device to access online education from home. In Italy and Portugal, only 2 out of 5 students have access to online education offered by their schools.

• Nearly three-quarters of parents (73%) stated that they would support the establishment of European standards for teaching digital skills, and 85% also said that digital literacy should be a key learning objective at school. Support is particularly strong in Portugal, Romania, and Greece, but substantially lower in the Netherlands.

• Portugal and Romania are the countries that strongly support the idea of schools being responsible for digital skills development.

“Europe is facing a significant skills gap and needs to drive digital literacy among young people if it wants to achieve the goals of the Digital Decade. As a parent, I understand why parents support teachers in their efforts to establish European standards for teaching digital skills, but I find the very large differences in the quality of digital tools available to students in different schools, cities, regions, and countries alarming. The Vodafone Foundation’s SkillsUpload Jr program shows that young people can benefit from digital skills, which is why Europe needs to take action now to level the playing field for students,” stated Joakim Reiter, Board Member of the Vodafone Foundation and Chief External & Corporate Affairs Officer at Vodafone Group.

The Vodafone Foundation study was launched in the context of the European Year of Skills, which encourages the funding of digital education projects in Europe, providing equal opportunities for young people and reducing the digital skills gap. The mission of the Vodafone Foundation, through SkillsUpload Jr, is to provide students and teachers with the skills, confidence, and knowledge to thrive in a growing digital society. SkillsUpload Jr has already reached over 7.8 million students and teachers in Europe, providing up-to-date educational resources to make educational systems fair, innovative, and resilient, actively empowering young people to shape the digital world around them.

The Vodafone Foundation’s previous report from October 2022, the 21st Century Teachers report, surveyed 3,000 teachers in 11 European countries. The report found that 75% of European teachers would prefer to have standards for policies and digital education to ensure that their students receive a high-quality education.

Methodology

Ipsos Germany surveyed 1,000 parents in each of the 10 countries on behalf of the Vodafone Foundation between February 23 and March 16, 2023: Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The target groups included parents of students in primary, secondary, and high schools.