James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Under the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020, overall investment of €210 million issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools in annual grant funding. This funding has supported schools to invest in appropriate digital infrastructure and to embed the use of digital technology in teaching, learning and assessment.

The new digital strategy for schools to 2027 was published last year and is underpinned by an investment of €200 million to support schools over the period committed to under the NDP. The first tranche of €50 million in grant funding issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools in late 2021. In addition, as part of Ireland's national recovery and resilience plan, NRRP, under the Next Generation EU funding facility, the Department issued a grant of €50 million in December 2021 to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme to support those learners at risk of educational disadvantage through the digital divide. This amounted to €100 million in total.

The digital strategy for schools was developed following an extensive consultation process with all relevant stakeholders and is focused on three pillars. It aims to ensure that the school system is prepared for and continues to progress the embedding of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment. It intends to embed further progress of the potential of digital technologies to transform the learning experiences of students. It also aims to help students to develop key digital skills to facilitate their participation in society and the economy as a transition to further and higher education and the world of work.

The timing of the issuing of the grant is subject to the wider capital needs of the school system. It is anticipated that the next tranche of funding will be in the 2023-24 school year. As underpinned by the digital strategy for schools to 2027, the Department remains fully committed to ICT in schools and has, to date, invested over €300 million directly into schools for ICT over the past six years. It is anticipated that the funding committed to under the NDP will be available to support the implementation of the digital strategy in schools in future years. As with funding under the previous strategy, the funding under the digital strategy for schools to 2027 is issued directly to schools as they are best placed to identify the requirements of their own student cohorts and to meet those requirements in the most appropriate way in accordance with their digital learning plans.

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