Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

One needs broadband provision in the first instance in order to give effect to a digital strategy. That strategy is not yet under way and work remains to be done both internally and externally. The key purpose of this is to ensure that students have a proper understanding of the dynamic involved. People in Ireland are digital natives and instinctively interface with the technology both in schools and elsewhere. However, when certain scenarios were presented to them it showed a deficit, so we need to discover why and tackle it. That is not merely a matter of giving more iPads or tablets to schools, it is a question of how the learning process can be enhanced as a result of interaction with technology. That is part of the digital strategy which needs to be further interrogated. I want to give the Deputy a proper answer. It is not just about throwing money at the problem, it is also about properly interpreting the PISA dynamic and comparing the experiences of other countries. We can take Finland as an exemplar and see how it is done there. We may adopt some of those models into an Irish system. We are getting there but we need to get the ICT roll-out completed in the first instance.

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