The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh this week announced a further €50million investment in ICT infrastructure for all primary and post-primary schools.
Grant funding for the purchase of ICT infrastructure will issue shortly to all eligible primary and post primary schools in the country to enable them to embed the use of digital technology in teaching and learning.
This latest tranche of funding brings the Government’s total investment in the Project Ireland 2040 scheme to €110m to date.
The grants will be allocated through a standard lump sum and additional per-capita sums based on the size of the school. At primary level, the grant is worth in the region of €5,900 for a 100 pupil school and almost €22,000 for a 500 pupil school. At post-primary, a 500 student school can receive a grant of almost €27,000 rising to some €52,000 for a 1,000 student school.
The funding can be spent on technology including:
- Desktop PCs, laptops, tablets or hybrid devices
- Projectors
- Cloud based tools and software applications to support learning.
- Learning platforms – these are generally cloud based applications used to support the teaching and learning process.
A further €5m of additional funding is also being set aside in this year’s tranche to recognise and support schools’ efforts to engage with digital technologies in teaching and learning. Schools are being invited to apply for the additional fund, if they are interested, by demonstrating evidence of effective embedding of digital technologies and Digital Learning Planning. You can read more about the additional funding here
This week’s investment is the third instalment as part of the €210m committed to by the Government under the Digital Strategy in Schools to support investment in ICT infrastructure for schools.
Speaking at the launch Minister McHugh said:
“We are living in a world which is being fundamentally transformed by digital technology. Disruptive technologies in cloud, mobile and social are revolutionizing how we work and how we live.”
“Critical, creative thinking, problem solving skills and adaptability will be key to ensuring young people flourish this environment and we need to make sure they are well prepared.”
“Our Digital Strategy for Schools sets out a clear vision that is focused on realising the potential of digital technologies to transform the learning experiences of students.” 