Limerick City Senator Maria Byrne who is a Member of the Joint Committee on Education and Skills announced today, the start of Internet Safety Week, that €774,095 has been allocated to 140 schools in Limerick for ICT Equipment.
Speaking this morning Senator Byrne said: “Over 140 schools here in Limerick will receive a grant to purchase equipment which will enable them to integrate digital technology in teaching and learning”
“The grant, which will be received by all schools built after 2014, is allocated according to the size of the school plus a standard lump sum amount, is worth in excess of €4,100 for a 100 pupil school and almost €13,000 for a 500 pupil school at primary level.
“At post-primary level, the grant is worth almost €18,000 for a 500 student school, and over €33,000 for a 1,000 student school”
“It is expected that the infrastructure purchased with this grant will align with the objectives set out in a school’s Digital Learning Plan, some examples of what the funding can be spent on include: 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”
Senator Byrne concluded by saying: “Today’s investment is the second instalment of the €210m the Government have committed to investing in ICT infrastructure for schools and fulfils a commitment in the Action Plan for Education, which aims to make the Irish education system the best in Europe by 2026”
Minister Bruton said: “Digital technology can transform the way people learn, encouraging curiosity, exploration and creative thinking. These are the capabilities our young people will need in the future.
“We are continuing our commitment to underpin the implementation of the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 through investing €210m in funding for schools. The €30m in funding to issue to schools over the coming weeks represent the second release of that funding, and together with the other supports being made available to schools – the Digital Learning Framework and Digital Learning Planning Resource – will enable schools to fully embrace that vision.
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