Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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86. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress on the development of a new digital strategy for schools and measures to further support digital online learning for primary and secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57294/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Earlier this year I announced an extensive consultation process to help inform the development of the new Digital Strategy for Schools. This is intended as a successor strategy to the previous strategy, which saw considerable involvement, in digital teaching and learning. Central to this was my intention of ensuring that all voices had an opportunity to be heard and to inform the new Strategy.

To facilitate this, multiple strands of consultation were undertaken. These included the establishment of a Consultative Group, online questionnaires for principals, teachers and students, an open call for submissions and Focus Groups with a range of stakeholders.

Reports on the main findings from all of these elements of the consultation process are being finalised and published in due course.

Other work feeding into the development of the new strategy included meetings with EU colleagues to look at what has worked in other countries. A baseline report is also being finalised which will address the implementation of the current strategy as well as highlighting areas that should be considered for the new strategy.

All of this work that I have just referenced will lead to the publication of the new strategy early in 2022.

In terms of measures to further support online digital learning, extensive support and advice for teachers and schools to provide remote learning is available through the Professional Development Service for Teachers and its Technology in Education team. The Department funded Scoilnet portal which contains a wealth of curriculum tagged resources that can be used by teachers, students and parents to support the use of digital in teaching and learning.