Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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Question 396: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if grant and training assistance will be made available to primary and post-primary teachers who wish to purchase laptop computers for use in the classroom; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28267/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Since the introduction of the ICT in schools initiative in 1998, with the schools IT2000 programme, there has been significant progress in the development of the ICT infrastructure in our schools, in the enhancement of teachers' skills and pedagogical practice and in the development of curriculum and learning resources. My Department has provided capital grants to schools to enable them to purchase computers having regard to their identified needs and priorities as contained in their individual ICT school plans. One useful indicator in this regard is the ratio of pupils to computers, which has lowered from 37:1 in 1998 to 12:1 in 2002 in the case of primary schools and from 16:1 to 9:1 in the case of post-primary schools. The major focus for my Department currently is the rollout of broadband connectivity to all recognised schools. The provision of always-on high speed Internet access represent a major development in the ICT in schools initiative to integrate ICT into teaching and learning in our schools. This project builds on the recent investment of €20 million by my Department in providing grants to schools for the development of computer networking facilities. The development of internal networking facilities in schools is critical to supporting schools full exploitation of the potential offered by broadband connectivity.

The National Centre for Technology in Education, via the ICT advisers in the local education centres, offers a range of courses to meet the continuing professional development of teachers in the area of ICT. My Department is currently examining the future priorities for the ICT in schools initiative and this work is complemented by a further census of ICT infrastructure which is being undertaken by the NCTE and an evaluation of the impact of ICT in teaching and learning in schools, which my Department's inspectorate is embarking on.