Earlier this week An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, confirmed that €1,047,797 was available to schools in Mayo to develop their information and communications technology capabilities. The Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, recently made the announcement that his Department would invest €30 million in ICT infrastructure for primary and post-primary schools nationwide.
Taoiseach Kenny stated: "Funding of just over €1 million is available to schools in Mayo to develop their ICT capabilities and is a very welcome development. This grant will support the development and implementation of an eLearning Plan for 194 primary and post-primary schools here in Mayo to embed ICT in both teaching and learning.
“The rates payable are €2,000 per school plus €22.20 per mainstream pupil in primary schools, with additional per capita payments for pupils in DEIS schools, special classes, and special schools. At post-primary, the rates payable are €2,000 per school plus €31.90 per student, with an additional per capita payment for students in DEIS schools.
“My Government's strategy sets out a clear vision that is focused on realising the potential of digital technologies to transform the learning experiences of students, providing them with marketable digital skills as they progress through the education system,” the Taoiseach concluded.
Some examples of the infrastructure that schools can purchase with this funding are: (1 ) Teaching computers/shared student computers. These may include desktop PCs, laptops, tablets, or hybrid devices. (2 ) Projectors including short throw or ultra-short throw, long throw, interactive, or interactive flat screens (IFS ). (3 ) Cloud based tools and applications to support learning. (4 ) Learning platforms – these are generally cloud based applications used to support the teaching and learning process.
