Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We are entirely at the Chairman's disposal. I want to reassure Deputy Colreavy that regardless of how this started, there is now a close ongoing working relationship between the two Departments. It is envisaged on foot of the national digital strategy that the switch-on workshops I mentioned, which are expressly designed to try to assist weaker schools, will take place. The point that the standards in schools will vary is a fair one. Our priority is to ensure schools have the technology. The education sector will gradually have to take responsibility for how it is used. Some of the examples we have seen are quite remarkable. Some pupils are remotely studying subjects that their own schools are unable to provide. For example, a small number of students are doing honours maths remotely from a different school because their own school will never be in a position to provide all the specialist courses that a particular cohort of students might be interested in. The capacity of technology for better teaching and for more efficient use of resources is very far-reaching. In fairness to the Department of Education and Skills - we were down there two or three weeks ago to discuss a different aspect of this matter - it has taken on board and is building on the possibilities presented by technology from a pedagogical point of view. It has some innovative programmes in this area.