Paul Kehoe
Question:62 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Science the information technology policy being followed by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30486/04]
View answerThursday, 25 November 2004
Questions (62)
Written answers
The Government is firmly committed to promoting wider access to and use of information and communications technologies, ICT, as a key element of our strategy of building and sustaining a competitive, inclusive knowledge society. Within this context, it is the policy of my Department to advance ICT as a central teaching and learning resource at all levels of education and to ensure that the ICT skills of learners are developed to their full potential.
Since 1998, my Department has invested some €150 million in promoting ICT in teaching and learning at first and second level. Funding has included grants to schools for computer equipment, provision for ICT training for teachers and a range of support services for schools. A national survey of schools concluded last year by the National Centre for Technology in Education, NCTE, indicates that substantial progress has been made to date. Average pupil to computer ratios have been reduced to approximately 11:1 in primary schools and 9:1 in post-primary schools — down from 35:1 and 18:1 respectively in 1998.
Every school has been provided with Internet access and more than 35,000 teachers have availed of ICT training programmes. In addition, many primary and post-primary schools are regularly using ICT in a range of subject areas. My Department has identified the provision of high-speed Internet access as a key enabler for the effective use of ICT in classroom teaching and learning. Earlier this year, the Government reached agreement with the telecoms industry on the establishment of an €18 million fund for the provision of broadband connectivity to schools over a three year period, with industry contributing €5 million per annum and the Government contributing €1 million per annum. This is a major initiative which will see all schools connected to a national broadband network by the end of 2005. Additional Exchequer funding is being provided by my Department for related equipment and services to support this initiative.
In the past few days, I announced a new €18 million funding package which will enable primary and post-primary schools to upgrade and augment their computer network facilities in advance of broadband roll-out to schools in the coming year. This new funding is additional to the €18 million being provided for broadband through the industry-Government fund. I should emphasise that bringing broadband to the classroom is one part of a wider strategy aimed at providing students with the necessary range of skills and dispositions for participation in today's knowledge society. Work is well advanced within my Department on a new strategic plan for further embedding ICT in the school learning environment. The new strategy will set out a range of actions in relation to: maintaining and enhancing ICT equipment in schools; connecting all schools to a high-speed national broadband network; promoting ICT as a central teaching and learning resource across the curriculum; integrating ICT with general and subject specific professional development for teachers; providing high quality, digital content for learning through Scoilnet and other initiatives; and promoting active engagement with e-learning at school level, and supporting innovation and disseminating good exemplars of ICT applications in teaching and learning.
In so far as higher education is concerned, a range of initiatives has been introduced in recent years to ensure a sufficient supply of skilled personnel to meet emerging labour market needs. These initiatives have focused to a large extent on the needs associated with the strong growth of the information technology sector. Following a report of the expert group in future skills needs, an information technology investment fund aimed at developing ICT education and training has been established for the provision of new courses, including part-time flexible provision, post graduate conversion courses as well as equipment renewal. Since 2000, some €180 million has been allocated by my Department to meet undergraduate and post-graduate courses in this area.
I should add that implementation of information technology policy within my own Department focuses on the provision of cost effective, secure and reliable ICT services that support the achievement of the Department's business objectives and facilitate organisational change, development and the promotion of e-Government. With regard to e-Government, my Department is in the process of developing a technical framework and specific applications to facilitate on-line communication between the Department and, initially, schools. The first two applications to be delivered are an on-line claims system, to allow schools input claims on-line for the payment of part-time teachers and other employees and a primary pupils database to allow schools provide information about primary pupils on-line to meet the Department's information and policy development needs.