Tesco exploits Seven years of neglect by Government of ICT funding for schools

Principals condemn delay in ICT plan.

STATEMENT BY SEAN COTTRELL,
DIRECTOR OF THE IRISH PRIMARY PRINCIPALS' NETWORK

In the same week that 20,000 laptops are being given to schools in Northern Ireland and TESCO supermarket group are re-launching their token collection scheme; primary school principals are still awaiting the Minister's plan for technology in schools under the National Development Plan and the Programme for Government.

There has been no funding for Information and Communications Technology to schools since 2001. The Minister has promised that the strategy for ICT in schools would be announced to show how this €252 million from the NDP would be spent. Despite the fact that she has this report, we still hear silence.

It is no wonder that primary school principals have lost confidence in the ability of this government to deliver what schools need to function effectively and for our children to access the high quality learning opportunities demanded by the revised curriculum.

One year ago, the Minister set up a strategy group to advise on the spending of €252 million on ICT in education. That group reported last year but we are still waiting to hear what this will mean for schools. Meanwhile, children, parents and principals are reduced to collecting supermarket tokens to provide IT equipment for schools. While €252 million might sound like a lot of money, this is to cover primary and secondary level and will work out at about €42 per child - playing catch-up for seven years of zero funding.

IPPN's survey of principals in January this year shows that 43% - nearly half - of our schools are working with outdated, partially functioning computer equipment while only one in ten say they have modern, high functioning equipment.

In the absence of proper funding to cover even running costs - let alone high tech IT equipment - the divide between rich and poor in our schools continues to grow.