Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection
Information Technology in Schools: Camara Ireland
1:00 pm
Mr. John Fitzsimons:
These are the types of options that are available in software. Obviously this is not possible without technology and it is not possible without training the teachers to use the technology. It is not possible without the buy-in of the school in total, but these things are possible when the technology is in the school.
Five years ago Camara used to talk about computers and training, we now talk about educational outcomes. In Kenya, for example, we are supporting the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, which badly needs to improve literacy and numeracy. This programme is addressing that need. We are the facilitators in this, not the teachers. It is up to the teachers to say, "We are trying to improve literacy, spelling or whatever in our school, so how can you help us?" We will suggest the software, technology, training and support that might be right for them. In Camara we do not do projects; we do sustainable operations. In Kenya, like in Ireland, we have set up an entity. That funds itself, and 50% is from the revenues we get. We must source funding to co-fund it. We are not going away from any country in which we are established. We will be there for the schools and for new schools as well.