THE REPUBLIC is close to the bottom of an EU league table on broadband availability in schools, according to a new report from the European Commission.
The new figures show Ireland ranks 19th out of the EU 27 in terms of broadband for schools.
The survey is the latest setback for the Government which has been anxious to highlight its support for information and communications technologies (ICT) in schools. Last month, a report commissioned by the Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin, said the €252 million funding planned for school ICT over the next seven years will still leave Irish schools lagging behind most EU states.
The €252 million promised from the National Development Plan provides €46 for each primary and second-level student every year, well below the level of investment in other EU states.
Last night, Liz McManus, Labour spokeswoman on communications, said it was "disheartening to see the broadband deficit affecting schools and depriving children and young people of access to the best possible ICT facilities. All our young people, regardless of the school they attend, must have access to a proper IT education and facilities."
The most recent survey show that one-fifth of school computers are not working due to their age or the lack of technical support. Ireland is 20th in a list of 30 OECD countries, with less than one computer for every 10 students.
Last month, John Carr, INTO general secretary, accused the Government of failing to invest in this key area. Primary schools, he said, have had "no government funding whatsoever towards the purchase, upgrade, maintenance or repair of computers for five years. This is the digital equivalent of Nero fiddling while Rome burned."
In recent weeks, Ms Hanafin has signalled there is little hope of additional funding for ICT in schools. It would be lovely, she said, to be able to put "an awful lot more into computers". However, given the global financial turbulence, the Government's priority was to keep the Budget and the economy on track.
The Teachers' Union of Ireland says the ICT structure in schools has more in common with parts of the Third World than an economically successful member of the EU.
