Cecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 514: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to introduce technology usage (details supplied) into the primary school curriculum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24544/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The 1999 Primary School Curriculum highlights the role of ICT as a resource which considerably enriches the teaching and learning of different aspects of the curriculum. It also emphasises the potential of ICT as a motivational tool in the classroom. The curriculum documents provide teachers with examples of how they can use ICT in the teaching of the different curricular areas. My Department through the National Council for Curriculum & Assessment, piloted, produced and distributed to all Primary schools Teacher Guidelines for ICT in the Curriculum to complement the general guidelines for the different subjects within the Curriculum.

Since 1998 the Department of Education & Science has made specific provision for the development of ICT facility and the promotion of its use in all schools including the Primary sector. Currently the major focus for my Department under the ICT in Schools Programme is the roll-out of broadband connectivity to all recognised schools. The broadband connectivity is being provided, with a €15m contribution from Industry over a three year period, via a Schools National Broadband Network supported by HEAnet providing managed Internet access, security controls and content filtering. A broadband support service is being managed by the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) to assist schools with advice and information relating to the roll-out and ongoing use of their broadband connectivity. The overall costs of the Schools Broadband Access Programme, including the initial set-up and ongoing costs over the three years, are in the region of €30m.

The Schools Broadband Access Programme builds on the investment by my Department in grant aiding schools to develop their internal networks. Since December 2004, over 3,100 Primary Schools have received grants to develop their networking facilities at a cost of over €12.9m.

On a wider front a range of supports have been put in place by the NCTE including a comprehensive teacher professional development programme currently providing 10,000 course places for teachers, the provision of on-line teaching resources via the Scoilnet Portal, the support and dissemination of innovative practice and the provision of technical advice. An ICT Advisory Service incorporating 21 ICT Advisers operating from the full-time Education Centres provide advice and assistance to schools on matters relating to the use of technology.

The NCCA, in conjunction with the educational partners has developed a Framework for the Integration of ICT at Primary and Post-Primary levels, which identifies the kinds of key learning outcomes with ICT in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes that students should be enabled to develop. It is expected that this framework will be a practical tool which will support teachers in planning for, assessing and providing opportunities for students to develop their ICT literacy across the curriculum. The Framework is currently being piloted in a number of schools with a view to broader application.

My Department is currently examining the future priorities for the ICT in Schools Programme. This work is being complemented by a census of ICT infrastructure which was undertaken by the NCTE and is currently being finalised. In addition, during the current school year, my Department's Inspectorate has undertaken a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of ICT on teaching and learning across both primary and post-primary schools. It is expected that this report will be published during the coming school year.