Details of the scheme were announced by Taoiseach Brian Cowen on November 16 at the launch of the 'Smart Schools = Smart Economy' report at St Joseph’s National School, Terenure, Dublin 6.

The report was produced by the joint advisory group set up by Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe and chaired by Paul Rellis of Microsoft Ireland. Members of the group included representatives from ICT Ireland, the Telecommunications and Internet Federation, the Irish Software Association, the Department of Education and Science, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and the National Centre for Technology in Education.

The report identified an “infrastructural deficit” in schools’ basic technology systems that needed to be addressed to ensure that Ireland keeps pace with global technological developments. It recommended an initial investment package of €150 million to provide computers coupled with educational software and digital projection. This would need to be followed with an annual budget in the region of €30 million for “support, rolling replacement and enhancement of the service”.

Mr Cowen said the Government’s investment plan would see €22 million in grants issued to primary schools before the end of this year.

“Our talented young people, the education sector and ICT are central to developing our Smart Economy. Our children and teenagers are very comfortable with technology so we need to exploit the benefits of ICT in our classrooms to stimulate and enrich teaching and learning and to develop students' ICT competence. The commitment to invest in ICT in schools is a further expression of the Government's commitment to the development of innovative ICT in Ireland,” Mr Cowen said.

“Going forward, I intend to put in place central procurement arrangements for ICT equipment. In the meantime, schools can avail of the central ICT frameworks  and the specific procurement advice being provided to schools."

Minister Batt O'Keeffe said there was now a shared vision on the integration of ICT in the classroom.

“The potential of ICT as a motivational tool to engage students and to enrich and enliven teaching across the curriculum is well recognised.

" Since publishing the Investing Effectively in ICT in Schools report, I've met key players in the business and ICT sectors to explore how best to realise the potential of ICT use in schools. This advisory report contains relevant recommendations in that context. 

“The advisory group has recommended that I establish a steering group to drive the implementation of the recommendations in the report. I’ve asked Paul Rellis to chair the group and I'll be seeking nominations from other stakeholders in the coming weeks,” Mr O'Keeffe said.

The €150 million plan for ‘smart schools’ was described by the INTO as a very small step forward. 

“In real terms this is about a thousand euro per class and will just about cover the cost of a basic laptop and projector,” said incoming general secretary Sheila Nunan. 

She also pointed out that broadband connectivity and teacher training would have to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

“Putting a laptop into a school with no broadband is the same as giving someone a car without any roads,” she said.

Ms Nunan criticised the Education Minister's comment that he had consulted with "key players" in the business and ICT sectors about ICT use in schools.

“If he wanted to know about ICT in schools he should talk to teachers,” she said. 

Fine Gael Education spokesman Brian Hayes also warned that the €150m announcement "must not be another gimmick or raid on capital Budget".

“The Government has already failed to roll out the €252 million set aside in NDP funding for ICT in schools that was meant to be allocated from 2007," he said.

Mr Hayes referred to a 2006 survey by the EU which found that:

• One in three Irish 15 year olds hadn't used a computer in school, twice the average in the rest of the developed world;
• Ireland ranked at the very bottom in Europe when it came to teacher satisfaction with the ICT infrastructure in their schools;
• In terms of access to content, Ireland was at the bottom of the European scale with 52% agreeing it was hard to find adequate learning materials for teaching (as compared to 39% across the EU) and with 41% agreeing that existing teaching material on the Internet were of poor quality (as compared to 30% across the EU).

Another study in the same year put Ireland 19th out of 25 European countries on the use of technology in the classroom, Mr Hayes said.

“Considering this record, the state of the public finances, and the continued failure by the Fianna Fáil Government to roll-out ICT spending in schools, there are serious concerns that the €150 million announced will be taken from the capital budget.

“It is surely no surprise that, this year, €140 million allocated for the schools building programme has still not been spent, with the Minister refusing to say what will become of that cash. Batt O’Keeffe must not play a ‘fast one’ with this cash,” Hayes warned. (Sources: Irish Times; Silicon Republic; INTO: FG)