By Matt Watson
Education Queensland (EQ) has admitted it does not know how many iPads have been stolen, lost or not returned by students at schools across the state.
The ABC has been told more than 100 iPads have disappeared in 2016, costing EQ about $50,000.
However, the actual figure could be higher.
The department said it did not know how many students rented iPads in 2016 because the information was not centrally held.
It thus had no idea how many of them were missing.
EQ said it did not have the resources to determine how many iPads were part of the program or how many schools rented iPads to students.
The ABC was told that if a student kept an iPad after leaving the school there was no follow-up process to retrieve the device.
It is understood dozens of rented iPads had been damaged, which cost several thousand dollars to repair.
In a statement, EQ said the iPad rental scheme is part of its BYOx policy introduced in 2013, which allows students to use the same device at school they use at home.
“State schools who choose to adopt the program work with individual families to ensure that any child who does not have their own device is not disadvantaged in accessing the curriculum,” the statement said.
“Most schools have a number of devices which are available in classrooms for use by students who do not have a personal device.”
“Departmental guidelines and procedures are in place for principals to negotiate levies with their school communities.”
It is up to individual principals across Queensland to adopt the program at their schools.
In some schools, students who have no iPad at home can rent a device for $50 a year.
Education Minister Kate Jones declined to comment.
This post originally appeared on ABC News.
