Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 October 2004
305 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Science her priorities for the schools broadband programme over the next three years, including the plans she has for Scoilnet and for the development of ICT within the national curriculum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25668/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe provision of broadband to schools is a central element of my Department's strategy for advancing ICT as a teaching and learning resource in first and second level education. By facilitating multi-media on-line applications in a classroom setting, much faster download of educational content and enhanced communications between school communities, broadband will greatly enhance the potential of ICT in teaching and learning in schools.
Earlier this year the Government reached agreement with the telecommunications sector on a major investment project which will see broadband connectivity delivered to all schools by the end of 2005. A three-year fund of €18 million is being established for this purpose, with industry providing €5 million per annum and the Government providing €1 million per annum. Additional Exchequer funding will be provided for the development of a secure national network managed centrally by HEAnet and a services helpdesk providing advice and support to schools on technical issues in relation to broadband connectivity.
Tenders for the provision of broadband services to schools over a three year period are currently being evaluated by a team of experts appointed by my Department and it is the intention to award contracts before the year end. The National Centre for Technology in Education, NCTE, is holding advice seminars for school principals and IT co-ordinators in October and November and is making arrangements to register schools for participation in the broadband programme.
The investment in schools broadband is part of a wider strategy aimed at providing students with the necessary range of skills and dispositions for participation in the knowledge society. To ensure that broadband is used effectively in the classroom, concerted action will be taken across a range of issues including equipment provision and maintenance in schools, technical support and advice, enhancement of teacher skills in ICT applications, embedding ICT in the curriculum, providing access to quality digital content for learning and fostering an e-learning culture within schools. A new strategy for schools' ICT, under consideration within my Department, will address these issues.
The Scoilnet website, which is managed by the NCTE, will have an important role to play in building a wide range of curriculum relevant digital resources for teachers and students. Significant improvements have been made to the website in the past year and the plan is to progressively upgrade and extend the facility over the coming years so that it may become a content rich interactive resource for teaching and learning across the curriculum. In the area of curriculum development and reform, a key objective will be to promote ICT as a central teaching and learning resource across the curriculum and to ensure that the full potential of ICT is leveraged for the benefit of student learning and skills development. My Department will be working closely with the National Council for Curriculum Assessment and the National Centre for Technology in Education on this issue.
