Some 970 primary schools from around Ireland have signed up to the second year of the Digital Schools of Distinction programme.
By the end of the school year it is expected that 130 schools will have had their applications validated.
The highest number of registrations came from counties Dublin (190 schools), Cork (100 schools), Galway (50 schools) and Meath (40 schools).
The programme is again supported by HP and Microsoft, who contributed €300,000 to last year’s campaign.
In a survey of 300 Irish primary schools who have registered to take part in the programme, access to high speed broadband, IT maintenance, support and funding were identified as the major obstacles to integrating ICT in the classroom.
The research also found that 98% of primary school teachers said ICT used in teaching is necessary to help prepare students to live and work in the 21st century and 80% strongly agreed that ICT used in teaching had a positive impact on student motivation.
Minister for Education & Skills Ruairí Quinn said: “In its first full school year, the Digital Schools of Distinction programme has demonstrated how it can make a significant practical contribution to helping schools make the most of their digital capabilities. This important initiative will complement the new Digital Strategy for Schools, which will be completed during 2014, and which will set out how resources, policies and projects can be prioritised and organised throughout the school system for the next five years.”
Cathriona Hallahan, managing director, Microsoft Ireland, added: “Industry has a responsibility to help make technology as accessible as possible to students and teachers and to help equip them with the skills to enhance their learning experience. We are proud of our involvement with this programme and delighted with the response to date.”
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