Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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362. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the considerations being given to closing the digital divide in Irish schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33065/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provided €100m in grant funding to recognised primary, special and post-primary schools to address their ICT needs during 2020, the final issue of funding under the €210m investment programme underpinning the implementation of the Digital Strategy for Schools. This included €50m in respect of the 2020-2021 school year brought forward and issued in December 2020. Schools were advised that they can use this funding to support the continuity of teaching and learning should a period of partial or full school closure occur arising from Public Health advice owing to Covid-19 restrictions. The funding is intended to enable schools to implement their Digital Learning Plan through provision of appropriate infrastructure. This includes Desktop PCs, laptops, tablets or hybrid devices, projectors/flat screens, cloud-based tools and software applications, and learning platforms. 

Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is a matter for the Board of Management of each school, as schools are best placed to determine the most appropriate solution to adopt in terms of supporting the learning needs of their students based on school's own context and circumstances, and in accordance with their Digital Learning Plan.

Schools are advised to consult with members of the school community including parents when planning for the introduction of digital technologies including devices. The cost and other implications must be fully considered by the Boards of Managements before a decision is made. It is important for schools, in conjunction with parents, to retain local autonomy for decisions on the use of digital technology in the context of their own context and requirements.  

The Professional Development Service for Teachers Technology in Education (PDST-TIE) offers advice and supports to schools on digital learning. Advice sheets are available on digital technology in education, including on the adoption of laptops and tablets in schools.

My Department spends just over €150 million annually to provide a suite of supports to schools in the DEIS programme, of which €16.2 million, in the form of a DEIS grant was allocated to schools ahead of schedule for the 2020/21 school year. This is an annual grant to support learning in the context of DEIS for the academic year. In recognition of the difficulties faced by some students to engage with remote learning, at the time the grant issued last year all DEIS schools were informed by letter that they could consider using some of their DEIS funding to support pupils’ learning, for example to arrange access to additional materials of supports for students during the move to remote teaching and learning caused by Covid-19. It is a matter for each individual school to determine how best to use this funding, but it is intended to support the objectives of the DEIS programme.

Schools are asked to be conscious of students who may not have access to online facilities or technology and to adapt approaches to ensure that these pupils’ ability to participate in learning is not compromised. Schools in the DEIS programme are asked to use all available supports, both in-school and community-based, to promote a positive solution-oriented approach that will support all pupils to achieve, to learn and to progress in their education and to help minimise any further educational inequality among those at risk of educational disadvantage.  

Under the Schools Broadband Access Scheme my Department will continue to fund the provision of broadband services to schools and upgrade services to existing schools as the opportunity arises. Currently some 98% of schools are provided with broadband connectivity through the Scheme. All post primary schools and some special schools have speeds of 200Mb/s or greater through the High Speed Programme for Post Primary Schools., while some 1,000 primary schools are on high speed connectivity of 100 Mbp/s or greater.

A project in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications is also underway under the Schools Broadband Programme to provide improved broadband services to those primary schools not in the National Broadband Plan intervention area, or in areas where commercial provision will not provide high speed connectivity. This project will comprise up to 1,100 primary schools, while some 679 primary schools are in the National Broadband Plan Intervention Area (NBP IA), with the balance of schools in areas where commercial provision will provide the infrastructure for high speed connectivity. Planning is already underway with a view to having all primary schools on high speed connectivity by the end 2022 through this project, the NBP, and commercial provision.

Home broadband is the responsibility of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. 

The development of a new Digital Strategy is underway and an extensive consultation process has commenced with an open call for submissions. Further strands of the consultation will include questionnaires to key stakeholder and engagement through focus groups. A Consultative Advisory Group has been established comprising key stakeholders representing parents, teachers, students and industry. Future funding measures to support schools in embedding the use of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment will be considered as part of that process.