Information and Communication Technology is not a discrete subject for the junior or leaving certificates. The approach taken by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has been to pursue the development of students' competence in ICT via the inclusion of ICT as a tool to be used in all subjects.
In this context, the new syllabuses for the Leaving Certificate subjects of Design and Communication Graphics and Technology were introduced last September and will be examined for the first time in June, 2009. Computer aided design is a compulsory element of the Design and Communication Graphics course while ICT is a core component as well as a course option in the Technology syllabus. Some 500 schools are offering Design and Communication Graphics and some 50 schools are offering Technology at Leaving Certificate level. Each of the schools concerned has been funded by my Department to upgrade their facilities to enable them to provide these subjects.
Apart from this specific curricular initiative, all major post-primary school building projects, including major refurbishments, extensions and new school buildings, include the provision of a minimum of one computer room; with all but the smallest schools also being provided with a Multimedia Learning Laboratory — which is an enhanced computer room with additional audiovisual facilities for the learning of languages. Indeed, the largest schools will have several computer rooms. All new post-primary classrooms are networked and there is additional provision for the use of computers by students in specialist rooms such as science laboratories.
Since the introduction of the ICT in Schools Programme, there has been specific investment by way of grants to schools to enhance their ICT infrastructure, accompanied by a range of continuing professional development activities, digital content initiatives and supports for schools to integrate ICT into their teaching and learning. While my Department does not maintain records of all school classrooms dedicated for the teaching of information and communication technology sciences, the National Centre for Technology in Education undertook a Census of Schools ICT Infrastructure in 2005. 584 post-primary schools (80%) responded to a question on the location of computers within schools, which revealed that 58% were located in computer rooms, 7% in specialist rooms and workshops, 6% in language and science laboratories, 5% in learning support and special needs resource rooms, 4% in general classrooms, 2% in school libraries and resource areas with the remainder being either mobile computers or computers located in staff rooms, offices, and administration areas. Almost all of the responding schools had a computer room.
As the Deputy will be aware I have received the report of the Strategy Planning Group to advise on the prioritisation of measures under the planned investment of €252m over the period of the National Development Plan. I will shortly be publishing the report together with my implementation plan.