asked the Minister for Education the Government's policy with regard to the involvement to a greater degree in education of improved technology and methods such as television, radio and correspondence courses.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Educational Methods.
7.
My policy will be to continue to promote and expand the use of audio-visual resources for the purpose of enrichment of the teaching programmes in the schools, and assistance in curriculum development. This policy will be implemented through (1) financial aid to the schools towards the cost of equipment and materials; (2) the promotion of programmes for the development of teachers' competence in the use of audio-visual resources and the dissemination of information in regard to the availability of such resources.
Has the Minister in mind any initiative in regard to greater involvement of these resources to which the question refers as opposed to the continuance of the present policy?
What present policy?
The present policy outlined in the reply obviously having reference to audio-visual aids and teacher training in that respect.
I understood that the drift of the question was to improve the facilities for audio-visual assistance in education. My Department and I are committed to improving those facilities.
The question does not refer to audio-visual aids. Would the Minister accept that was the question asked, and would he comment on the need, in the context of scarce resources and also of improved technology, to utilise to a greater degree television, radio and correspondence courses? Would he accept that any country which can, for example, consider an RTE 2 could perhaps also similarly consider the expansion of Telefís Scoile into third level and second level education and to a greater extent generally utilise it.
I think I am on record as decrying the running-down of educational programmes on radio and television and I shall give what help I can to improve that service. I think I mentioned yesterday that, seeing that the Department of Education finances itself from year to year, it is not the best source from which to finance radio and television programmes because they have to be planned on a much larger scale than that.