Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 21: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on whether there has been serious under investment by the Government in information and communications technology in schools over the past five years; and if the new funding ring-fenced for ICT improvements will be sufficient to radically improve poor ICT provision and quality in schools. [10810/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The two main priorities under the ICT in Schools Programme over the past few years have been the development of networking capability in schools and the provision of broadband connectivity under the Schools Broadband Access Programme. The existence of an internal network in a school is necessary to enable the school to fully exploit the potential of broadband connectivity. Schools were invited to submit proposals for the development of their internal networking facilities in June 2004 and grants amounting to some €23m have issued to schools to date.

The Schools Broadband Access Programme is being undertaken in partnership with industry. The Agreement with IBEC/TIF (Telecommunications and Internet Federation) provides for a three year €18m joint Fund, with industry contributing €5 million per annum and the Government contributing €1 million per annum, and meets the costs of schools local connectivity. Under the Programme, schools connectivity is being routed to the Internet through a National Broadband Network, which has been developed by HEAnet. Each school is connected to the network via a high-speed broadband router, provided to the school and housed in the school, and a broadband access link. The Network provides centrally managed services for schools such as security, anti-spam / anti-virus and content filtering. The overall costs of the Programme, over the three year period and including the initial set-up costs, are €30m.

These twin priorities have been accompanied by a range of other developments, such as the planned introduction of the new Technology syllabus and the revised Design and Communication Graphics syllabus at Leaving Certificate level, with effect from September 2007. €25m has been provided in grants to some 500 post-primary schools to enable them to upgrade their facilities to provide these new syllabi. This investment builds upon the earlier Government investment in schools' ICT infrastructure. The recent census of ICT infrastructure in schools, published by the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE), was conducted during the first half of 2005 and is the fourth in a series that began in 1998.

The census shows that the number of computers in our schools continues to increase. There were 97,709 computers in schools in 2005, and while the age profile of the stock has increased, this compares with figures of 84,663 in 2002, 59,000 in 2000 and 36,000 in 1998. The census also shows improved pupil to computer ratios at both primary and post-primary levels, finding one computer for every 9 children at primary school and one computer for every 7 students at post-primary.

We have ensured that this extra investment in infrastructure has been complemented by an increased focus on teacher training. The National Council for Technology in Education (NCTE) 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. In addition, the NCTE and the regionally based ICT advisory service provide a range of supports to schools towards the integration of ICT into teaching and learning. These supports include the provision of on-line teaching resources via the Scoilnet Portal, the support and dissemination of innovative practice and the provision of technical advice.

So, considerable investment has been provided for the ICT in Schools Programme to date. Nevertheless 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. The Government has included provision for planned investment of €252m in the new National Development Plan 2007-2013. I will be publishing a comprehensive new strategy for ICT in Schools covering the period to 2013, which will aim to develop an e-Learning culture in our schools that will ensure that ICT usage is embedded in teaching and learning across the curriculum.

I have recently announced the appointment of a Strategy Planning Group to advise me on the prioritisation of measures under the planned investment over the period of the NDP. The new strategy will address teacher professional development, the maintenance of a national broadband network for schools, technical maintenance and support requirements and the upgrading and renewal of hardware along with the provision of software and digital content for learning. I have asked the Strategy Planning Group to look at the critical success factors for those schools that are successfully integrating ICT into their teaching and learning and to take account of the full range of educational supports and funding available to further the integration of ICT into teaching and learning.

The Strategy Planning Group is chaired by Mr Jerome Morrissey, Director of the National Centre for Technology in Education and its membership comprises individuals with a range of complementary experiences and expertise in education, industry and the public service. It is expected that the Group will report in May.