Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The Government is determined to ensure that all students have the opportunity to achieve computer literacy and to acquire the necessary skills for participation in the information society. To this end, we have put in place significant investment and new initiatives to increase the number of computers in our schools, to provide a range of ICT training options for teachers, to improve the availability of online resources and to ensure that all schools have broadband access.

Between 1998 and 2005, more than €170 million was invested in the schools ICT programme, including €114 million in capital supports. This helped to improve the number of computers in our schools, a fact reflected in the 2005 census of ICT infrastructure in schools published recently by the National Centre for Technology in Education. The census was conducted during the first half of 2005, and is the fourth in a series that began in 1998. The 2005 census shows improved pupil to computer ratios at both primary and second level. At primary level, there was one computer for every nine children in 2005 compared with one for 11 in 2002. At second level there was one computer for every seven students in 2005. In special schools, the census found a pupil-computer ratio of 3:1.

As the Deputy will be aware, the major focus for investment over the past two years has been on developing computer networks in schools and ensuring schools have broadband access. The census was carried out at a point when schools were beginning to fully avail of this funding. The schools broadband access programme comprises three elements, local connectivity to schools, a national broadband network and a national service desk at a cost of approximately €30 million. As of 14 November last, 96% of schools have local broadband connectivity, including the installation of a broadband router. The remaining schools are predominately those that currently have a building project under way and broadband installation will be carried out in tandem with completion of the building works. A small number of schools elected to continue with their existing broadband provision.

A lot of extra investment has been provided for the schools ICT programme in recent years. We have also ensured that extra investment in infrastructure has been complemented by an increased focus on teacher training. The National Council for Technology in Education has provided 10,000 training places annually in recent years to meet the specific needs of teachers in their use of ICT, including technical courses, subject specific courses, and Internet, web design and digital media courses.

While the ICT facilities in our schools have improved considerably, I am conscious of the need for further investment to ensure that we are realising the full potential of ICT to improve the learning experience for our young people. To that end, I intend to publish a comprehensive new ICT strategy in 2007 covering the period of the new national development plan to 2013. A critical challenge under this new strategy will be to develop an e-learning culture in schools with a central objective of embedding the use of ICT in teaching and learning across the curriculum rather than a focus on treating ICT as a separate subject.

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