Summary of Recommendations NPADC

Recommendations
The National Policy, Advisory and Development Committee (NPADC)
recognises and acknowledges the tremendous progress made by the
Department of Education and Science (DES) through the National Centre for
Technology in Education (NCTE) in fostering, promoting and developing the
use of ICT in primary and second-level education since the launch of Schools
IT 2000 in 1997. It also recognises the commitment, dedication and
enthusiasm shown by teachers in supporting the integration of ICT into
teaching and learning. The following recommendations are the NPADC's
vision of the future of ICT in schools and identify how further progress can
be made over the lifetime of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2001-2006.

Policy
2.1 That, following consultation with the Education and Social partners as
represented by the NPADC, the Department of Education and Science should
state clearly its policy for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
in primary and second-level education. This policy statement must address
such issues as the use of ICT in the curricula, the technological infrastructure
for ICT in schools, teacher professional development in the effective use of
ICT, gender balance in relation to ICT in schools, the development of ScoilNet
as the education portal for Irish education, community access to ICT facilities
and services at local centres and the funding necessary for the
implementation of these policies.
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Strategy
2.2 That the DES, in consultation with the NPADC and the NCTE, must prepare a
Strategic Action Plan for the primary and second-level school systems. This
plan must set out short- and long-term objectives, a clear time frame, the
measures to be taken, the responsibilities to be allocated, the annual and
longer term targets and the resources necessary for full implementation.
This plan must pay due regard to the specific needs of pupils in early
childhood education, in Gaelscoileanna and Gaeltacht schools, in special
education, and to the needs of all disadvantaged pupils and schools.
This plan must recognise the crucial role that each school plays in
formulating its own ICT school strategy.This plan must ensure that methods of integrating
ICT into the teaching and
learning process and models of good practice are disseminated to the
primary and post-primary system as a whole.
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Funding
2.3 That the DES must provide adequate funding to support the full
implementation of the Strategic Action Plan and that this funding must be
linked to a range of specified success indicators in the plan to allow for the
ongoing evaluation and monitoring of its efficiency and effectiveness.

Implementation
2.4 That the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE), the operational
agency entrusted with the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan, must
be adequately resourced by the DES and structured in terms of staffing,
working environment and communications capability in order to deliver the
service required and that Education Centres must be sufficiently resourced to
fulfil their role at local level.
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NPADC
2.5 That the National Policy Advisory and Development Committee must be
properly resourced and structured to carry out its mandate.

Professional development of teachers
2.6 That ongoing and appropriate levels of professional development for all
teachers must be provided in the pedagogical uses of ICT in the classroom
and that, where appropriate, this should be an integral part of all in-service
training courses.
2.7 That all curriculum innovation and development, professional development
of teachers and school support systems must incorporate, where appropriate,
the methodologies for the use of ICT in the teaching and learning
environment.
2.8 That this professional development, where possible, should take place on an
in-school basis.
2.9 That the provision of in-service training for teachers must be reviewed in the
context of the development of appropriate third-level certification and
accreditation structures, and revised where necessary.
2.10 That opportunities must be created for the continuous emergence of new
leadership in ICT in Education by developing further the Training of Trainers
Programme and by promoting postgraduate research in this area.
Pre-service teacher education
2.11 That the Department of Education and Science must provide appropriate and
dedicated funding for the ICT pre-service education of both primary and
post-primary teachers in ICT and for the inclusion of ICT in the post-graduate
education of teachers in special education and learning support.
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Infrastructure
2.12 That the DES and school authorities must ensure that access to the Internet
by students in schools is safe and secure.
2.13 That all teachers and students must have access to levels of technology
appropriate to their needs. This must include networked computers,
multi-user connectivity and a minimum pupil-to-computer ratio of 5:1 in all
schools. In this regard, priority must be given to those schools that because
of social and economic deprivation cannot meet this target. Special education
must receive a more favourable pupil-to-computer ratio.
2.14 That broadband connectivity to the Internet at no or low cost must be
provided on a multi-user basis to all schools and that community use of this
facility must be encouraged and facilitated.
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Technical support
2.15 That, in the context of the huge investment in ICT infrastructure in schools
by the Government and the private sector, the DES must provide adequate,
additional and separate funding to schools for the maintenance, repair and
renewal of school ICT equipment on an annual basis.
2.16 That Education Centres should be assisted in developing the expertise
necessary for advising schools on how to resolve issues in relation to
technical support.
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Resources/support mechanisms
2.17 That the DES must support the development and provision of education
software appropriate to the curricula.
2.18 That the DES must support the development of digital resources for teaching
Irish and teaching through the medium of Irish.
2.19 That the DES must fund the continued development of ScoilNet at a level
which will ensure that it functions as the online national education portal and
such that an Irish version of the site can be developed.
2.20 That the role of the ICT advisors must be reviewed regularly with a view to
strengthening the support mechanisms for the integration of ICT at school
level.2.21 That the NCTE continue to fund and drive innovative ICT-led pilot projects in
schools which build teaching resources and inform methodologies and
applications of ICT in teaching and learning.
2.22 That the DES must provide adequate funding to ensure that the Education
Centres and other professional development providers have sufficient
resources to enable them to fully cater for the needs of teachers and schools
in the context of ICT training.
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Partnership
2.23 That the important influence of partnerships on the success of Schools IT
2000 should be recognised and must be built on in future ICT programmes
and developments. Opportunities for continuing and future partnerships to
support ICT in schools must be explored by the DES and the Education and
Social Partners and implemented in a timely and effective manner.

Future technologies
2.24 That the NCTE in consultation with the NPADC and IBEC should establish an
ICT Industry Advisory Group to advise on future technology infrastructure
options and on continuing private sector support to the ICT In Schools
Initiative for the primary and second-level education sector.
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