Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will make funding available for computer upgrading or replacement to a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55842/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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As you will be aware, integrating ICT into teaching and learning in schools is a major priority for this Government. My Department's ICT in Schools programme sets out a clear agenda to be pursued in this regard, focusing on four main priorities: ICT Infrastructure in schools, the Schools Broadband Scheme, the development of teacher skills, and the provision of curriculum-relevant digital content.

On the infrastructure side, the Department has distributed more than €90m in ICT Infrastructure grants to schools nationwide since 2009, including allocations of €22,663.65 and €24,809.74 in 2010 to the school referred to by the Deputy. The priority under this grant scheme was the equipping of all classrooms with a digital projector, teaching computer and wireless keyboard and mouse. This ICT infrastructure grant schemes is now fully disbursed. There are no plans to introduce a new Infrastructure Grant Scheme in 2012 in view of budgetary pressures.

Work has commenced on the development of a new ICT Strategy for schools. The first step in this process is the completion of an ICT Infrastructure census in schools. Drafting of the census is currently taking place. The new ICT Strategy will address the new policy challenges and opportunities arising from major developments in curricular reform, digital publishing, digital content dissemination tools generally, cloud services, portable computing and student devices and the deployment of high speed broadband at post-primary level.