Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 July 2021
13. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education her plans to further support digital online learning for primary and secondary schools including to develop a new digital strategy for schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35401/21]
View answerI wish to ask what are the Minister's plans to further support digital online learning for primary and secondary schoolchildren, including the development of a new digital strategy for schools, and whether she will make a statement on the matter.
As Deputy Smyth may be aware, an investment programme of €210 million has been delivered under the current Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020. As the Deputy's previous question demonstrated, there undoubtedly is a strong role for digital devices and the use of digital technology in teaching and learning within our education system, and we must support its continued development.
Under the digital strategy, ICT funding is issued directly to schools as they are best placed to identify and meet the requirements of their school and school cohort. This funding can be used to buy devices for use by students and teachers, including learning platforms, software and the overall ICT infrastructure development in the school. Extensive support for schools to develop digital learning plans is provided through the digital learning framework alongside a suite of teacher professional learning delivered through the Department-funded teacher support service, the professional development service for teachers.
Earlier this year, I announced the development of a new digital strategy for schools accompanied by a wide-ranging consultation process. A consultative group has also been established comprising all key stakeholders, that is, the widest possible reach within the education sector, including education partners, parent groups and student representatives to ensure a meaningful and effective engagement with all key stakeholders. In addition, consultation is under way as part of the process. I want the new strategy to build on the progress achieved to date and to ensure that young people gain the necessary digital skills as part of their education. The new strategy will take account of the findings from the consultation process, the experience gained through the implementation of the current strategy and national and international experience in this area. It also will seek to address and incorporate new and emerging issues and trends in digital technology in education. I look forward to working towards a new digital strategy for our schools in the coming months on the back of all this consultation.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it has taught us how important is the digital world and forum. Not unlike my previous question, we have learned that it will be most useful to students in every guise in education. It is clear that digital online learning has played a crucial role in school and college life over the past year and it must be acknowledged that the reliance on online learning has, at times, placed a significant burden on teachers, students and many parents, who bore the cost of devices and connections. Lessons must be learned from the experience of the past 16 months in terms of good practice, as well as to know how better to meet identified needs.
What measures are being put in place to enable stakeholder consultation in the new digital strategy for schools to ensure the needs and experience of those most affected, both adults and students, are heard, including those most at risk of educational disadvantage?
I agree with the Deputy that we have learned an enormous amount from the pandemic as we have gone through it. We have also learned of the flexibility, adaptability and resilience of schools in meeting challenges as they are presented. I want to be very clear that with the resourcing of schools, more than €100 million has been made available to them during the pandemic, specifically with regard to digital technology, and this afforded schools the opportunity to purchase equipment and loan equipment to students where necessary. I have seen good practice in many schools where it was not possible for a student to have equipment that the required equipment was loaned and students could draw on that resource.
The Deputy referred to who would be involved with the consultation, etc. I have indicated that this was an open call consultation and it is important that the voices of students, parents, teachers, managerial bodies and wider society is heard. It is important as there is no monopoly of wisdom in any subject. The consultation process included and was open to everyone.
I thank the Minister. I know she is looking at a number of initiatives, including a €210 million investment programme underpinning the implementation of the digital strategy for schools, which will be tailored to allow schools to get what they need most in support to embed digital technologies in the school setting. This could be in the format of desktop PCs or tablets, and that is just how education is going. I am delighted to see how the Department is embracing all that for our schools and, more importantly, the students.
Will the Minister give us an expected timeline and status for the new digital strategy for schools? Looking to future measures, what plans have been identified or may already be in place for future supports and digital and online learning for both primary and secondary schools?
I confirm that the consultation process was wide and provided online and questionnaire resources etc. There was an opportunity for people to engage and much of that is being analysed now. There have been and will continue to be bilateral engagements with a variety of different stakeholders and partners in education on the formulation of a new policy. It is my intention that we will be in a position to launch this new policy within the next number of months.
I am under no illusions about the significant and beneficial resource that digital technology provides to our schools and, as I said, we have seen that during the pandemic. I acknowledge that digital technology is an additional tool within schools. We have also learned through this pandemic the value of in-person experiences in education as well. We are looking to broaden the resources we have in education and this is a vital example. We hope to be in a position to launch the new strategy in the coming months.
