Luxury digital divide: five hundred sixty nine euros for learning

Published on June 25, 2026 | Translated from Spanish

Educational technology promises to transform classrooms, but its price turns it into a privilege. Paying 569 euros plus monthly subscriptions for a device is not innovation, it is exclusion. While companies and governments celebrate progress, the digital divide widens. The hypocrisy is evident: without universal access, these tools do not democratize, they divide.

Photorealistic scene inside a modern classroom, a child reaching for a glowing tablet device priced at 569 euros on a pedestal, while other students sit empty-handed at desks, a transparent digital wall showing subscription renewal alerts and locked educational software, a teacher standing frustrated beside a broken projector, dramatic chiaroscuro lighting casting shadows across the room, cold blue and amber light contrast, dust particles floating in beams, ultra-detailed textures on worn wooden desks and plastic chairs, cinematic composition emphasizing exclusion and privilege, technical illustration style with precise hardware details like USB ports and charging cables disconnected

Educational hardware: costs that hinder development 🖥️

A terminal with a basic processor, touch screen, and educational software costs around 569 euros. Add to that monthly subscriptions of between 10 and 30 euros for licenses or platforms. In a classroom of 25 students, the initial investment exceeds 14,000 euros. Ministries should negotiate bulk agreements to reduce costs and apply a reduced VAT, as is done with textbooks. Without this, the device remains a luxury item.

The miracle tablet that only a few touch 📱

Sure, nothing educates more than watching the classmate next to you use a touch screen while you take notes on recycled paper. That is the real lesson in meritocracy: if your parents don't pay 569 euros, you learn through effort and chalk dust. But don't worry, the government is already preparing an institutional video on the benefits of educational technology. For the rest, there will always be the blackboard.