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Directorate-General for Education and Culture
European Commission
EURYDICE
[email protected], the information network on education in Europe
The EURYDICE Network produces reliable, readily comparable information onnational education systems and policies. EURYDICE also acts as an observatory,highlighting both the diversity of systems and their common features.
Working on behalf of policy-makers and the world of education, EURYDICE pre-pares and publishes:
• regularly updated descriptive analyses of the organization of education systems;• comparative studies on specific topics of European interest;• indicators on the various levels of education from pre-primary to tertiary educa-
tion.
EURYDICE also has its own database, EURYBASE, which constitutes a furtherhighly detailed reference source on education systems in Europe.
By circulating the results of its work, EURYDICE promotes better mutual under-standing of these systems and the common issues that run through them.
Established in 1980, EURYDICE has been an integral part of Socrates, theCommunity action programme in education. The Network comprises NationalUnits and a European Unit. National Units set up by the corresponding educationministries now exist in 30 countries, namely the 15 EU Member States, the threeEFTA/EEA countries, ten central and eastern European countries, Cyprus andMalta. These Units provide and check the basic information needed to sustain net-work activity. The Brussels-based European Unit set up by the EuropeanCommission is responsible for management of the network, coordination of itsactivities, preparation of the comparative analyses, and database design andadministration.
EUREURYDICE on the Internet: http://wwwYDICE on the Internet: http://www.eurydice.org.eurydice.org
Survey 4
Information and CommunicationTechnology in European Education Systems
EurydiceThe Information Network on Education in Europe
E U R Y D I C E
This document is published by the Eurydice European Unit with the financial support of theEuropean Commission (Directorate-General for Education and Culture).
Available in English ([email protected]: Information and Communication Technology in EuropeanEducation Systems) and French ([email protected]: Les technologies de l’information et de la communication dans les systèmes éducatifs européens).
D/2001/4008/14ISBN 2-87116-324-3
This document is also available on the Internet (http://www.eurydice.org).
Text completed in July 2001.
© Eurydice, 2001.
The contents of this publication may be reproduced in part, except for commercial purposes,provided that the extract is preceded by a complete reference to ‘Eurydice, the information net-work on education in Europe’, followed by the date of publication of the document.
Requests for permission to reproduce the entire document must be made to the European Unit.
Cover photograph: © Photo: Stock Image, Benelux Press, Brussels, Belgium.
EURYDICEEuropean UnitAvenue Louise 240B-1050 Brussels
Tel. (32 02) 600 53 53Fax (32 02) 600 53 63E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.eurydice.org
Printed in Belgium
‘Seduced by the effortless gathering of data, we discount the costs of turningdata into information, information into knowledge and knowledge into wisdom.’
B. Harris, 1987.
Quotation taken from: Cities and regions in the electronic age, p.395. In Brotchie, J.; Hall, P. and Newton, P.(eds.). The Spatial Impact of Technological Change. London: Croom Helm, 1987.
Foreword 7
I. ICT and education: discussion and action at European level 9
1. The terms of the debate 9• ICT in relation to the educational players involved 10• ICT in relation to arrangements for teaching 12• ICT in relation to the way education is organised 13• A summary of the main issues 14
2. The action of the European Union 15• The Educational Software and Multimedia Task Force 16• The Learning in the Information Society Action Plan 17• The Socrates Programme 18• The eLearning initiative and action plan 18• The IST Programme 21• The European Computer Driving Licence 22• Eurydice publications on ICT in education 23
II. Results of the survey 25
1. Action to enhance equipment and facilities 252. Teacher training initiatives 273. The inclusion of ICT in courses 304. Specific supporting initiatives 315. Concluding observations 33
III. National descriptions 35
Bibliography 179
Acknowledgements 183
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Most European countries have now stated that the incorporation of information and commu-nication technology (ICT) into their education systems is a crucially important objective. And,in the same frame of mind, the European Union has recently launched the eLearning initiativeand action plan.
This clear demonstration of political intent leads on to many further questions. What ambitionsgovern the implementation of these policies for ICT and in accordance with what strategies?What position and role are conferred on ICT and with what repercussions for whole educationsystems and each of their components? Under what circumstances will ICT contribute to a pro-found change in systems or will it, on the contrary, do no more than modernise them?
In order to consider these questions in conjunction with the policies now being implementedthroughout Europe, Eurydice decided to carry out a survey on how ICT is being introduced intothe education systems of 30 countries, namely the 15 EU Member States, the three EFTA/EEAcountries and 12 pre-accession countries (1). In cooperation with the Swedish presidency of theEuropean Union, the European Commission and the Swedish Eurydice National Unit, theEurydice European Unit (EEU) prepared a questionnaire which was sent in November 2000to all Units in the Network. The answers to it from each country were prepared on the basis ofa partnership between the National Unit and ministerial departments concerned. At the end ofJanuary 2001, the data gathered in this way was sent to the EEU which analysed it.
An intermediate version of the results of the survey was published for the Fifth Conference ofEuropean Education Ministers held in Riga (Latvia) on 29-30 June 2001. Delegations of theministries of education of Member States of the European Union, the pre-accession countriesand the EFTA/EEA countries took part in this conference organised jointly by the Swedish pres-idency of the European Council, the European Commission and the Latvian Ministry ofEducation.
The survey covers public policies for incorporating ICT into education in schools, higher edu-cation (2) and initial and in-service teacher training.
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(1) The following countries are thus covered:• Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria,
Portugal, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom as EU Member States;• Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway as EFTA/EEA countries;• Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus
and Malta as countries included in the European Union pre-accession strategy.(2) Information gathered on this level of education is limited to centrally implemented measures, and does not cover the
many initiatives of higher education institutions which have the autonomy needed to undertake them.
FOREWORD
The questionnaire sent to the National Units was primarily concerned with the following:• the aims and strategies underlying policies for introducing ICT into each education system
and its constituent levels,• specific measures implemented (national initiatives, action plans, pilot projects, etc.),• how responsibilities are shared in this area between various administrative levels,• the public/private partnerships either established or envisaged for the purpose of imple-
menting these initiatives on a large scale.
On the basis of this survey, the following pages provide a summary of the main issues in thedebate on the incorporation of ICT into education systems, together with a review of EU actionin this field (Chapter 1), an overview of the various kinds of initiative implemented in the30 countries which contributed to the survey (Chapter 2) and a set of individual country reports(Chapter 3) covering in each case the aims, strategies, examples of public/private partner-ships, the way in which responsibility is shared among various administrative levels and themain programmes and schemes introduced.
In the present survey, the expression information and communication technology, or ICT, cov-ers computers, computer networking (the Internet and intranet) and multimedia. The term incor-poration, where used, should be interpreted in its broadest possible sense as a virtual synonymof introduction, presence or use. The wide variety of terms, practices and approaches encoun-tered in the countries covered rules out any more precise definition. Furthermore, ICT has beenconsidered both as an educational resource or tool and a subject for study in its own right. Inthe latter case, however, the discussion has been limited to basic education in ICT for the great-est possible number, without considering specialised or vocational training courses.
We hope that this book will help all those interested in what is a highly topical subject, namelythe incorporation of ICT within education systems, to gain greater insight into how educationalpolicies in this area are changing in Europe.
Luce Pépin,Head of the Eurydice European UnitJuly 2001
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The terms of the debate
ICT has induced sometimes radical changes in certain sectors of activity. Is it to be expectedthat changes on the same scale will occur in education systems and, if so, with what conse-quences?
The first World Education Market (WEM) which took place in Vancouver in May 2000 andwas held again in May 2001, gave some idea of the magnitude of what is at stake. Ministersand public bodies representing around 30 countries mixed freely with the publishers of multi-media products, designers and providers of on-line services, and computer firms which arebecoming increasingly interested in the education and training sector. Firms are now offeringimmediately available on-line training programmes, and are planning to extend their activitiesto the field of education, particularly in the school support service sector. Under these circum-stances, the role of the public authorities must in any event be reconsidered, primarily asregards the need to guarantee universal access to knowledge and quality content, and thepreservation of cultural identity.
Over and above its commercial implications, ICT may be credited with raising once more thequestion of education as a means to individual self-determination and a better life (Wolton,2000). For a long time, educating free individuals able to develop a critical outlook verylargely depended on the amount of information accessible to them. There was therefore a ten-dency to equate self-determination with the ability to acquire a greater degree of informationand knowledge. Today, however, accumulation of a very considerable body of information ismaterially and technically straightforward. What counts now is to know what to do with it. Theability to discriminate so that information is turned to good account has acquired novel signif-icance in relation to the ability to obtain it.
ICT has led to reconsideration of priorities in education. Naturally, the new technologies arepotentially vehicles for change and innovation. In particular, they may encourage pupils toabandon passive listening in favour of more responsive engagement, help to bring the outsideworld into the school and more generally change the way education is provided. But the aimsof education and the decisions underlying them still have to be geared to making the most ofthis potential. The mere presence of ICT is not in itself sufficient. Present evidence seems to sug-gest that this is not what generally occurs. ICT as used in education would appear to have hadvery little impact on traditional teaching methods and the way schools normally operate.
Cultural considerations also have an important bearing on changes in education systems vis-à-vis the advent of ICT. Without wishing to rekindle a Manichean kind of debate in which tech-nical culture was long set against humanistic culture, it is nonetheless evident that each national
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I. ICT AND EDUCATION: DISCUSSION AND ACTION ATEUROPEAN LEVEL
culture has a different view of ICT, depending on its position in relation to either of theseextremes. Depending on circumstances, ICT may either be harnessed to subordinate technicaltasks or, on the contrary, be fully exploited as a means of exchanging and communicatinginformation and gaining access to knowledge.
Prevailing opinion, extensively relayed by the media, projects a fairly general consensus onthe positive aspects of ICT for educational purposes. Indeed, ICT is sometimes perceived ascapable of revolutionising the whole debate on the role of education and how it should be pro-vided. The present survey has set out to review the various strategies and initiatives imple-mented in the countries covered. It also seeks to situate these initiatives with due regard for pre-vailing values and overall educational objectives for which ICT cannot be a substitute.
Two other aspects have to be borne in mind in the present discussion. The first concerns thefact that, aside from the question of ICT, the current period is one in which the practices, organ-isation and principles of schools and the education systems to which they belong are beingquestioned and changed with a view to the provision of lifelong education and training(Papadoudi, 2000). Models and techniques for organising, managing, producing and trans-mitting knowledge, and for catering simultaneously for the needs of different groups etc., arebeing considered from a fresh angle. This does not mean that we can speak in terms of a com-plete break with the former frame of reference and the emergence of an entirely new one.However, the analysis has to examine the issue of ICT in conjunction with these broader chal-lenges facing education, rather than obscuring them by foreshortening the thought and dis-cussion entailed.
The second aspect that has to be borne in mind is that the entrenchment of ICT, like that of anytechnological tool, has at least two main types of impact (Salomon, 2000). A gradual andcumulative but quite possibly profound influence on particular practices, but also a more imme-diate visible impact on them. The first is slow, cannot generally be forecast and only becomesfully apparent after a certain period. This increases the likelihood that insufficient attention willbe paid to its implications when implementing measures in the field of ICT which at first sightmay seem appropriate merely because they are possible. Even if, in reality, the foregoing twokinds of impact are not totally distinct from each other, we can clearly only discuss the latter(short-term) effects in the pages that follow. Our focus, therefore, will be on how ICT is becom-ing an integral part of education, as we attempt to analyse the various initiatives in terms oftheir possible impact on those involved, on educational practice, and on the organisation ofschools and of the entire education system.
ICT in relation to the educational players involved
ICT helps to make the education system more responsive to its environment. In this respect, ithas an impact on relations between schools and the broader educational community, parents,local authorities, firms and associations, etc. Teachers and learners are, however, those mostconcerned.
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Teachers
Since the beginning of the 20th century and particularly since the Second World War, severalgenerations of teachers have been confronted with the advent of new media. Adopted first indaily life and then gradually in the world of education, other means of communicating infor-mation have developed alongside books. The use of instruments other than the voice of theteacher or the school textbook is therefore nothing new. It has sometimes even been a centralelement in the development of so-called new educational theories (including Montessori,Freinet, etc.).
Nevertheless, the introduction of ICT into education systems calls first and foremost for clarifi-cation of the role of the teacher. Most of those involved in the ongoing debate acknowledgethat the essence of educational activity still consists in the direct contact between teacher andpupil. The part played by particular teaching methods and resources, and therefore ICT, in theprocess of teaching and learning seems to be increasingly important, and likely to lead even-tually to changes in the distinctively typical tasks performed by teachers.
Even where education makes extensive use of ICT, it should not relax the professional demandsit makes on teachers – quite the contrary. In addition to a more comprehensive and updatedform of training, redefining the role of teachers could result in a new set of responsibilities, aswell as reorganisation of the time devoted to lessons and to preparation for them. As soon asindividual learners can acquire virtually any information, the role of intermediaries, includingteachers and all those who unlock access to information, knowledge and culture (includingresearch librarians, etc.), is set to be rethought and enhanced. It is worth noting that studiescarried out in the United States draw attention to the very heavy workload now faced by teach-ers as a result of the inclusion of ICT in education (Farrington, 2000).
Ready access to more extensive and varied sources of information and knowledge mean thatit is all the more important for teachers, alongside children, to place the data at their disposalin perspective. Here, once more, the particular culture of a system will have some bearing onthe role invested in teachers. In some countries, teachers are regarded as vital in protectingminors from information regarded as undesirable or dangerous. In others, education attachesprime importance to nurturing critical faculties at an early age, so that the learners are morereadily left to judge quality themselves.
Learners
Most of those who express firm opinions on the incorporation of ICT into educationalprocesses draw attention to its numerous advantages for learners: they include access tomany varied sources of information, flexibility in relation to the traditional restrictions of timeand space, respect for individual rates of learning, greater autonomy and, in certain cases,the greater convenience of learning through the use of ICT facilities rather than in contact withteachers, etc.
ICT and education: discussion and action at European level
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However, these positive aspects should not conceal the need for better understanding and/orconsideration of matters such as the following:• the expectations and requirements of different groups of learners: in relation to the devel-
opment of lifelong education and training, it would be unwise to assume that the needs andexpectations of learners vis-à-vis ICT are the same, irrespective of their age; furthermore,they do not constitute a homogeneous group of people with the same level of motivation,who need nothing more than exposure to ICT in order to benefit from it;
• the very nature of specific forms of cognitive learning: these are the result of efforts, on thepart of learners, to restructure what they have learnt previously; the enormous strides for-ward as regards the time needed to access information have in no way lessened the timelearners need to assimilate it fully; with demands on learning increasing, it would be mis-taken to assume that the period needed to appropriate knowledge will diminish;
• the impact of the presence and use of ICT on implicit learning: defined by John Dewey asan activity that is collateral to the acquisition of other skills or forms of knowledge, such asthe ability to read, write and count, etc., learning of this kind embraces attitudes, forms ofbehaviour and values which correspond to the process in which children relate to socialnorms from primary school onwards; today, these have assumed fresh importance in rela-tion to the debate on basic (so-called new) skills, and in particular social skills, mastery ofwhich has assumed the nature of an obligation for anyone who has acquired an education.
Irrespective of the potential of ICT, it nonetheless carries with it restrictions with which learnersand those who accompany them have to come to terms. It also has to be related to the infor-mation requirements of learners which vary depending on their aims, skills and the strategiesthey mobilise to acquire them or, in other words, on the relevance of a particular requirementfor the action of the user concerned.
The introduction of ICT into the educational process is also linked to contrasting philosophicalattitudes vis-à-vis learners. Some may be identified with an approach in which the latter haveto be closely supervised, while others acknowledge that learners themselves are best placed toguide their own learning. Yet others correspond to a more pragmatic outlook in which freeexploration is combined with active guidance in a supervisory context. ICT is not in itself nec-essarily going to work better for any one of these approaches than for others. On the contrary,it is the particular philosophical approach advocated that will determine how ICT should beinvolved in the educational process.
ICT in relation to arrangements for teaching
The use of the means mobilised for teaching purposes, and the development and organisationof teaching materials are part of what is involved in preparing the curriculum. It is thereforealso important to attach special importance to the definition of ICT as a teaching resource inorder to appreciate its identity and the way it is activated.
ICT may perform different tasks in the arrangements for teaching: it may be used for simplecommunication purposes or, through the creation of documents, to provide information,
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awaken curiosity, strengthen intellectual skills, or for organisation, assessment and practicalapplications such as simulation.
Furthermore, its use for communication purposes is liable to assume special importance fromthe intercultural standpoint. This is borne out by the establishment of many class websites andthe proliferation of electronic communication between classes in different countries. TheInternet is thus perceived as a tool which is capable of offering a basis for the development ofintercultural teaching, though without becoming its only support (Si Moussa, 2000). Moreimportant still are the will to engage in such teaching, along with a definite plan for intercul-tural communication, both of which condition the use to be made of ICT in a particular edu-cational context.
Furthermore, it would appear from observing classes in which learning activities are centredon the use of ICT, that they are more convivial and conducive to greater cooperation than otherclasses (Si Moussa, 2000). The level of individual activity is more regular and sustained.However, similar conclusions might be drawn from the observation of teaching arrangementsbased on well conducted group activity not requiring the use of ICT. Conversely, classes thatdo use it continue also to rely on traditional methods of teaching. Where this occurs, they donot result in the observation of any particular signs of increased attention or active involvementon the part of pupils or students (Plomp et al., 1996).
Nevertheless, ICT provides opportunities for introducing new learning situations into class-rooms, by stimulating the problem-solving skills of pupils who are able to choose the strategiesthat suit them best, facilitating the integration of different forms or branches of knowledge, aswell as the development of multidisciplinary projects, and by encouraging the growth of‘metacognitive’ skills (self-evaluation of the learning process). ICT is also adapted to inductivereasoning which is played down in some education systems more inclined to place a premiumon the application of rules. Finally, ICT – and particularly the Internet – are also likely to boostthe substantial growth of desk-based research and, by the same token, a certain approach tostructuring knowledge in schools wishing to regard written or printable material as the mostimportant source of knowledge.
ICT in relation to the way education is organised
The introduction of ICT into education systems has repercussions both for individual schoolsand the entire education system.
For schools, ICT is a support mechanism enabling them to communicate with their immediateenvironment (parents, teachers, pupils and, in certain cases, various administrative levels), aswell as with a whole range of bodies which are also potential partners (including local author-ities, associations, firms and other schools, etc.). ICT therefore amounts to a real opportunity forbringing schools into active contact with the wider educational and local, regional, national orEuropean community, which is now considered highly desirable by many commentators. Mostwebsites developed in schools remain classroom-based. It is within a particular class that they
ICT and education: discussion and action at European level
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originate, come to fruition and are monitored and updated, as the number of school class sitesamply demonstrates. However, school-based websites are also gradually becoming more com-mon with the expansion of school facilities and changes in staff skills and distinctive responsi-bilities, in which growing importance is attached to aspects concerned with communication.
Internal school administrative procedures may also change significantly as a result of the intro-duction of ICT.
As far as education as a whole is concerned, political pronouncements in support of ICT areindicative of the hopes pinned on it as a means of improving the entire enterprise. They high-light how it can, for example, remedy malfunctioning and shortcomings, modernise systemsoverall, and inject innovation into communication and management. Much is also made of itspotential profitability in that, over and above a given level of teaching staff, distance educa-tion seems especially cost-effective and capable of justifying its substantial initial outlay interms of equipment and facilities.
A summary of the main issues
In itself, ICT is not necessarily going to radically change education systems. This hypothesis isbased on two assumptions (Salamon, 2000).
The first corresponds to the observation that technological progress has to date usually beenharnessed, on its emergence, to the same kind of purpose as the resources which preceded it(radio and television, etc.). In this way, its relationship with the philosophical and cultural rootsof an education system is preserved. The unexpected effects of a new technology have alwaysaroused suspicion, as they may be numerous and some of them may be incompatible with theaims of an education system. Education, indeed, is not intended to drift with the vagaries offortune but, on the contrary, achieve precise unwavering objectives. However, while new toolscan do no harm once they have been subjugated, neither are they likely to lead to necessaryimprovements or real change.
The second assumption is the widespread conviction that technology is itself going to changethe order of things for the better. Naturally, as a result of technology it is possible to supply andsecure access to information more easily and rapidly, solve certain problems and devise newcombinations of tools, etc. Technology may also enable a redistribution of effort so that lesstime and energy are devoted to recall and memorisation and more to problem-solving and theacquisition of meaningful knowledge. Furthermore, it may give rise to a reorganisation ofworking time within schools. However, technology cannot in itself serve as a reference frame-work or map out a course of action. And the opportunities which it provides do not come aboutautomatically. On the contrary, they are the result of deliberate determined effort driven by anoverall view of what education should be seeking to achieve. Due regard for the educationalsignificance of ICT and quality assurance of the tools and prodcuts developed are crucialaspects of this basic strategy.
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The same determination is needed to ensure that ICT does not become a source of furtherinequality, with the digital divide accentuating already existing differences. In a recent study,the OECD (3) has identified several factors that are determinant in creating this divide, such asvariable ease of access to computers and the Internet, depending on socio-economic and/orethnic background, as well as on age and educational background. Geographical differencesbetween towns, regions and countries are also liable to fuel the digital divide. For this reason,some OECD member countries have launched programmes for the benefit of children andschools in disadvantaged areas, besides committing additional financial support to investmentin ICT, and providing training for the least qualified workers, tax relief for firms and donationsfor local technological centres, etc.
Furthermore, both in education and other fields, changes are not caused by the appearanceof a simple tool however effective it may be. Instead, they tend to be the resultant of the com-bined influence that social and technological innovation have on each other. The comprehen-sive integration and significant development of ICT in education thus depend to a very largeextent on circumstantial or structural factors. With few exceptions, most countries are stillinvolved in introducing ICT, to a greater or lesser extent, into their education systems. Priorityis thus often attached to mobilising means, sometimes to the detriment of more careful thoughtas to their ends. If ICT is really to represent an opportunity to be grasped and help social andeducational development to progress, the balance in emphasis should be redressed as soon aspossible. A sequential approach (facilities first and then the objectives) is not necessarily moreproductive than a simultaneous one (with facilities provided while goals are being determined),in so far as operations to provide facilities are relatively rapid compared to the gestation of anew global frame of reference for an entire system. It is for this reason that the debate recentlyinitiated by the European Commission and the Member States on the concrete aims of educa-tion systems as regards quality, effectiveness, lifelong access and responsiveness to the worldbeyond Europe is so crucial.
The relations between ICT and education are thus complex and cannot be reduced to the sim-ple availability of material resources within the educational process. If they cannot in them-selves change the system, they inject it simultaneously with different concepts and new kinds oflogic. For example, the growing diversity of technological tools available to teachers increasesthe various ways in which such tools may be used, as well as the heterogeneity of educationalpractice and forms of training. ICT is therefore a partial means to achieving a vision of edu-cation, and also a gateway to new horizons. It assumes full meaning only in relation tochanges in the educational process.
The action of the European Union
At the end of the 1970s and start of the 1980s, public initiatives were launched in someEuropean countries with a view to bringing ICT into education. For most of the time, this meant
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ICT and education: discussion and action at European level
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(3) Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
that it was regarded as a subject for teaching, with a precisely circumscribed position in thecurriculum. At that stage, ICT was not really regarded as an extensively used teachingresource, or as a subject with a significant contribution to make across the curriculum as awhole.
However, from that time on, the development of multimedia computers and growing aware-ness of the potential of ICT as a teaching resource led to the proliferation of pilot projects andpublic financial support, in particular for the development of educational software. Meanwhile,the major computer industries were quick to grasp the potential of ICT in terms of educationalproducts and services.
Today, most European countries are becoming involved in initiatives involving multimedia facil-ities, but also local connections within classes and schools, with access to regional, nationaland international networks via the Internet. By this means also, education systems are morereadily moving into partnerships with museums, local authorities, libraries, firms and associa-tions, etc.
From 1983 onwards, the European Commission acted as a catalyst and gave the lead byencouraging the incorporation of ICT into education and vocational training (4). For this pur-pose it above all lent its support in that period to the organisation of seminars, symposia andmeetings enabling the Member States to pool their experience. Then, in 1986, the EuropeanCommunity programme, COMETT, involving cooperation between universities and firmsthroughout Europe to develop education and training in technology was adopted. In 1990, theCommunity programme, Eurotecnet, was also launched for the promotion of innovation invocational training to take account of ongoing technological change and its impact on quali-fications and employment (5).
The Commission published its Memorandum on open and distance learning in the EuropeanCommunity (6) in 1991, since when its action in the field of ICT has been consolidated andsteadily expanded.
The Educational Software and Multimedia Task Force
An Educational Software and Multimedia Task Force was established in March 1995 (and con-tinued its activities until 1998) so that six EU programmes (7) would join forces to speed up the
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(4) See in particular:• the Resolution of the Council and of the Ministers for Education meeting within the Council of 19 September 1983
on measures relating to the introduction of new information technology in education; • the Conclusions of the Council and of the Ministers for Education meeting within the Council of 4 June 1984 on
technological change and social adjustment; • the Resolution on education and training in new technologies of 11 November 1986.
(5) The activities associated with Comett and Eurotecnet were subsequently incorporated into the Leonardo da Vinci pro-gramme.
(6) See also the Conclusions of the Council and Ministers for Education meeting within the Council of 27 November1992 on the development of open and distance learning.
(7) Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci, Targeted Socio-Economic Research, Esprit, Telematics Applications and Trans-European Telecommunications Networks.
development of educational and training technology and its application throughout the EU.This cooperation led to the organisation of a joint call for proposals unlocking a Communitycontribution of EUR 49 million used to support 46 educational multimedia projects involvingover 400 firms and institutions, around half of which were universities or schools.
The Learning in the Information Society Action Plan
In 1996, the European Commission launched an action plan called Learning in the InformationSociety. In so doing, it underwrote the political determination of the Member States to becomefirmly committed to making the multimedia in general, and the Internet in particular, an inte-gral part of teaching practice. The plan involved the following four lines of action: encourag-ing the establishment of electronic networks between schools throughout Europe; boosting thedevelopment of educational multimedia resources; promoting teacher training in the use of ICT;and providing information on the potential of multimedia and audio-visual educational toolsand resources.
The development of the European multimedia schools network European Schoolnet (EUN) cofi-nanced by the Educational Software and Multimedia Task Force has made a substantial con-tribution to implementation of the first line of action. EUN was launched in Brussels inDecember 1996 by the Swedish Minister of Education, Ylva Johansson, and received the sup-port of the education ministers at an informal meeting of the Council in Amsterdam in March1997. Operational since September 1998, European Schoolnet (8) is a European electronicnetwork of national and other computer networks at present linking up the ministries of edu-cation in 23 European countries (namely the 15 EU countries, Norway, Switzerland, Slovenia,Iceland, Poland, Hungary and, as observers, Israel and Morocco). Its purpose is to encouragethe exchange of information and experience among players in education, training and culture,and so fuel discussion in this area at national and European level. It also aims to establish avirtual European campus which will constitute a gateway to national and regional educationalnetworks and related teaching resource centres. In addition, the network seeks to become aEuropean vehicle for innovation and exchange.
The second line of action has been implemented by boosting awareness and action on the partof European players in the audio-visual and publishing sectors. A database on European edu-cational multimedia publishers and products was designed in 1997, while main areas of coop-eration were identified and a European Education Partnership (EEP) was set up in September1997. The EEP represents many different interests in the ICT, audio-visual and publishing sec-tors, as well as the educational community in general.
Besides activity to bolster national strategies and EUN initiatives in this field, the Communityprogrammes have made a contribution to the implementation of the third line of action for thepromotion of teacher training in ICT.
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(8) Website: http://www.eun.org
As regards the fourth line of action (more effective provision of information on the potential ofmultimedia and educational resources), the Commission has launched a series of activitiesand, in particular, a week of promotional events, known as Netd@ys Europe, in schools since1997 and a European competition for the best educational multimedia. Netd@ys Europe is aEuropean Commission initiative to boost the use of new technologies in schools. Its purpose isto ensure that the potential of the new media in the educational and cultural fields becomesmore widely known.
The changing role of teachers, trainers and project leaders and improvements in the quality oflife, primarily among the disadvantaged or those who live in remote areas, have been the twopriority concerns of the Netd@ys 2000 initiative which, amongst other things, focused on thefollowing limited number of topics: citizenship; European cultural identity and diversity; equal-ity of opportunity; education and training for a better practical grasp of the new media; anda focus on the world beyond Europe.
The Socrates Programme
In the Socrates Programme, the Open and Distance Learning action of the Programme’s firstphase (1995-1999) helped to incorporate ICT into education systems. The Minerva actionwhich carries this development forward in the second phase (2000-2006) supports four spe-cific types of activity:• action and/or research aimed at highlighting the impact of ICT or open and distance edu-
cation on the organisation of processes and models for teaching and learning;• actions geared to providing the methods, products and resources which are needed to
develop innovative learning environments and should be transferable;• the establishment of contacts between producers, users and managers at European level,
especially in the case of teacher training bodies and resource centres;• the development, at European level, of information systems and services concerned with
educational methods and resources involving the use of ICT and open and distance edu-cation.
The eLearning initiative and action plan
The eLearning initiative and subsequent action plan to explain the procedures and means forits implementation constitute the main recent Community action regarding ICT applied to edu-cation and training.
The eLearning initiative was adopted by the European Commission on 24 May 2000 and for-mally welcomed by the education ministers and Feira European Council in June the same year.The eLearning action plan was adopted on 28 March 2001. Together, they both seek tomobilise players in the fields of education and training, as well as those concerned in thesocial, industrial and economic sectors, for the purpose of making lifelong education the driv-ing force of an interdependent and harmonious society. They are also aiming to nurture a com-
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petitive economy, to promote employability and adaptability (9), to compensate for the skillsdeficit associated with the new technologies and ensure more effective ‘social inclusion’ (10).
The eLearning initiative extends the global eEurope action plan in the fields of education andtraining. The aim of this plan, which was also adopted by the Commission on 24 May 2000,is to enable Europe to make the most of its strengths and overcome obstacles to the increasedtake-up and use of digital technology (11). It is helping to achieve the major goal establishedfor the Union at the Lisbon European Council on 23-24 March 2000, namely that of ensuringthat Europe becomes the most competitive and dynamic knowledge economy, capable of sus-tainable economic growth coupled with a quantitative and qualitative improvement in employ-ment and greater social cohesion.
The four lines of priority action developed by the eLearning initiative are as follows:• improving infrastructure and facilities to enable all classrooms to have Internet access, with
a ratio of 5-15 pupils per multimedia computer by 2004 (12), and to establish a trans-European network for communication between research institutes, universities, researchlibraries and schools while gradually providing other learning centres (such as libraries,cultural centres and museums) with appropriate facilities;
• a drive to deliver training at all levels which provides for the acquisition, by the end of2003, of a digital culture by pupils before the completion of their schooling, offers incen-tives to teachers to use digital technology for educational purposes, and includes the adap-tation of school curricula, opportunities for each worker to acquire digital culture, and theestablishment of on-line learning platforms by the end of 2002; such an effort also pre-supposes the adoption of a European framework for novel skills whose acquisition is certi-fied, in particular, by a European diploma in basic information technology skills;
• the development of quality content and services, which implies closer links between theEuropean multimedia industry and training systems, the establishment of quality criteriaand content evaluation methods, and speeding up interconnections between schools anduniversities;
• the development of cooperation.
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(9) The European Employment Strategy. The strategy rests on four pillars, namely employability, entrepreneurship,adaptability and equal opportunities. (http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/empl&esf/ees_en.htm)
(10) The eLearning Action Plan – Designing tomorrow’s education, Communication from the Commission to the Counciland the European Parliament, COM(2001)172 final, 28.3.2001.(http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/elearning/doc_en.html)
(11) The eEurope 2002 Action Plan: an information society for all, prepared by the Council and the EuropeanCommission for the Feira Council, 19-20 June 2000.(http://europa.eu.int/comm/information_society/eeurope/actionplan/index_en.htm)
(12) On 14 March 2001, the Commission stated in a document about evaluation of the eEurope initiative, that the aimnow was to achieve a ratio of one computer for every five pupils in all classrooms. The Commission has also saidthat the Member States should now encourage broadband Internet access in schools.
These initiatives are being developed and broadened by the eLearning action plan which com-prises six main actions as follows.• devising a decision-making support tool in the form of an information base that contains
qualitative and quantitative indicators regarding the use of ICT for educational purposes; • setting up a European exchange and research platform based on existing structures in the
Member States, in order to make the most of innovative applications of the new technolo-gies in education and training (possible applications of emergent technologies, such as digi-tal television and satellites in learning environments, the establishment of virtual campusesand virtual mobility, and use of the new technologies to fight malfunctioning in conventionaleducation);
• developing infrastructure through the establishment of digital networks in universities anddisadvantaged regions;
• incorporating digital culture into basic skills that should be acquired throughout life, andrecognising them by means of a European diploma in information technology;
• training teachers, identifying and promoting best practice, and investing in research on thequalifications required for future teachers and trainers;
• developing quality educational content through the introduction of an inventory of quality cer-tification systems in cooperation with the member countries, sound security precautions for edu-cational and cultural websites and thinking and discussion about intellectual property rights.
In order to achieve these aims, the Commission intends to mobilise mechanisms and policiesfor which it is responsible. They include the education and training programmes (Socrates,Leonardo da Vinci, Youth), the Fifth Framework Programme for Research and TechnologicalDevelopment (the Information Society Technologies Programme - IST, the Programme forTargeted Socio-Economic Research), the programmes and actions for technological deploy-ment and competitiveness (Ten Telecom, eContent, Go Digital), and the Structural Funds whichare already investing in equipment, facilities and training for the new technologies, particu-larly in disadvantaged regions. The Commission will also take action concerned with stan-dardisation to provide for interoperability and the circulation of e-Learning content and ser-vices. The actions envisaged will also be reinforced by implementation of the EuropeanInvestment Bank Innovation 2000 Initiative. With a three-year budget of EUR 12-15 billion, thisprogramme offers an opportunity to support investment in human capital and innovation.
The eSchola action implemented as part of the eLearning initiative complements the Netd@ays,in that it is a more concrete targeted educational venture. It is seeking to demonstrate the infor-mation and communication potential of the new technologies, as well as to encourage schoolsand teachers to exchange good practice and learn from each other. In 2001, this campaignto heighten awareness regarding the use of Internet in schools, which has been organised byEuropean Schoolnet, the European Commission and the Swedish presidency of the EU, wasreflected in a week (from 7-11 May) devoted to ICT and e-Learning in schools. At a later stage,European Schoolnet e-Learning 2001 prizes will be awarded for resources and examples sub-mitted in the following categories:• eSchool, which relates to schools or groups of schools that use the Internet systematically;• eTeaching, which is intended for teachers who incorporate ICT into their teaching activity;
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• myEurope, which is for teachers or schools offering special education on Europe;• eTeacher Training which is intended for bodies for teacher training.
A website is used to help promote events and good practice (13).
The IST Programme
The Information Society Technologies Programme (IST) is a major research and developmenttheme in the Fifth EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development(1998-2002). As such, it is the successor to the Avanced Communications Technologies andServices (ACTS), Esprit and Telematics Applications Programmes of the Fourth FrameworkProgramme, and now brings their activities together within a single programme which reflectsthe increasingly close interrelationship between information processes, communications andmultimedia technology. The IST Programme has a EUR 3.6 billion budget and is being imple-mented by the Information Society Directorate-General of the European Commission.
The strategic aim of the Programme is to enable Europe to benefit from the advantages of theinformation society by speeding up the emergence of the latter and ensuring that the needs ofindividuals and firms are satisfied. This corresponds to four objectives:• satisfying the needs and expectations of private individuals in terms of general interest high
quality services provided at reasonable cost;• enabling European firms, workers and consumers to innovate and work more effectively,
by establishing the basic conditions for sustainable growth and strong value addedemployment and improving the quality of life at work;
• strengthening the dominant position of the multimedia content sector by encouraging it toachieve its full potential;
• supporting the development of technologies and speeding up their establishment in Europe.
The Programme is structured into four key actions:• Systems and services for the citizen: intervention in the areas of administration, the envi-
ronment, transport and health and on behalf of people with special needs, so that allEuropean users may benefit from recent advances in computer science, communication andintelligent interfaces;
• New methods of work and electronic commerce: encouraging new methods of working andestablishing electronic commerce. This action is based on the governing vision of a networkeconomy in which consumers, workers and firms may come together and interact with eachother as the result of an all-embracing infrastructure.
• Multimedia content and tools: developing interactive electronic publishing, digital heritageand cultural content, and access to human language technologies etc., as well as boosting
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(13) Web site: http://www.eun.org/cn/eschola/index.cfm
the development of new forms of interactive and visual content so that people haveimproved access to culture and science.
• Essential technologies and infrastructures: action in ICT-related fields: mobile and personalmeans of communication, microelectronics, the development of software and correspon-ding technology, systems and services, simulation and visualisation technologies, new inter-faces, the development of peripherals and subsystems and microsystems.
In order to incorporate the new ideas, these actions have been balanced by the Future andEmerging Technologies (FET) action. It is concerned with longer term high-risk research whichis promising in terms of significant industrial and social impact.
The European Computer Driving Licence
Although the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) is not the outcome of a project initi-ated by the EU, it has been the subject of discussion within the Community and the EuropeanCommission regards it as an example to follow and implement.
The ECDL was introduced for the first time in Sweden in August 1996. However, the conceptitself originated in Finland, where the Finnish Association for Information Processing initiatedthe Finnish Computer Driving Licence in 1994.
The ECDL is an initiative of the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies (CEPIS)which brings together 21 associations and over 250,000 professionals. It is administered bythe ECDL Foundation.
Devised at the outset as a European standard for information technology skills, the ECDL nowseeks to become the global standard for such skills. Its aims are as follows:• to improve knowledge about information technologies, as well as the skills levels of citizens
in Europe and throughout the world in the use of personal computers and common com-puter applications;
• to raise the productivity of employees who use a computer at work; • to enable a better return on investment in information technology;• to offer a basic qualification enabling everyone to become involved in the information soci-
ety.
The ECDL comprises seven modules and, when candidates register for the qualification proce-dure, they receive a European computer skills card which records all data regarding the pro-cedure. They are awarded the Licence when they have satisfactorily completed the seven mod-ules. The ECDL has now been introduced in 22 European countries in which it has been a greatsuccess. This applies particularly to the Nordic countries where it has become a very popularmeans of certification among employers and employees alike. In many countries also, pro-grammes for the benefit of socially marginalised groups have made use of the ECDL as ameans of certifying skills attainment levels. Furthermore, the ECDL Foundation is now examin-
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ing what needs to be done for persons with physical handicaps to secure access to the test onthe same basis.
Eurydice publications on ICT in education
General enthusiasm for the Internet has led to extensive national plans to provide schools withappropriate facilities. In order to rapidly measure the impact of these measures, national gov-ernments and the Commission have said that they need a detailed picture of the stage reachedby the development of ICT and the Internet in educational institutions in the Member States.
It is against this background that the latest edition of Key Data on Education in Europe, 1999-2000 (which takes 1997/98 as its reference year) has been produced for the EuropeanCommission jointly by Eurydice and Eurostat. For the first time, this publication includes a spe-cial chapter containing a set of indicators relating to ICT prepared by Eurydice on the basis ofnational contributions from the member countries of the Eurydice Network. The indicators werefinalised during consultation and joint meetings with members of the Network and the nationalpartners of Eurostat. They provide information on the following: • national policies and official documents on the use of ICT;• national bodies responsible for supervising those policies;• national projects to introduce ICT;• the schedule for their implementation;• the sharing of responsibility for the purchase and maintenance of hardware;• the distribution in specific budgets between expenditure on the purchase of equipment and
on human resources;• the aims of projects;• the inclusion of ICT in the curriculum in primary, lower secondary and upper secondary
education;• the use of ICT in primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education;• initial and in-service training of teachers in ICT.
A new separate edition of Key Data on Education in the field of ICT is currently being pre-pared, with 2000/2001 as its reference year (14). It will update the existing indicators and alsoinclude a further detail concerning the initial training of teachers in lower secondary educa-tion, namely the number of hours devoted to ICT in the course of their training.
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(14) This edition will be entitled Basic Indicators on the Incorporation of ICT into European Education Systems:2000/2001 Annual Report.
The most frequently cited aims of policies for introducing ICT into education systems, are (indescending order) the following:• improve teaching and learning processes in order to enhance the general quality of edu-
cation and the skills levels of learners (the French Community of Belgium, Spain, Ireland,Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway,Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland and Romania);
• provide for the access of everyone to ICT in accordance with the equal opportunities prin-ciple (the French Community of Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Norway, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta and Slovenia);
• facilitate the development of lifelong education and training (the French Community ofBelgium, the Flemish Community of Belgium, Austria, Finland, Sweden, the UnitedKingdom, Liechtenstein, Norway, Estonia, Cyprus and Lithuania);
• contribute to the development of an information society in the fullest possible sense (Portugal,Finland, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland and Romania);
• lead people to develop responsible, critical and creative attitudes to ICT and make it eas-ier for them to become involved in the information society (Germany, Greece, Spain,France, Italy, Luxembourg and Norway);
• support economic development and competitiveness (Germany, Greece, Sweden, theUnited Kingdom, Norway and Estonia);
• boost the labour market integration of young people (the French Community of Belgium,Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom/Scotland and Liechtenstein).
Analysis of national policies reveals four main areas around which action to achieve the fore-going aims is concentrated, as follows:• actions to enhance facilities and equipment (hardware and software),• teacher training initiatives,• the inclusion of ICT in courses,• specific supporting initiatives.
Action to enhance equipment and facilities
The vast majority of initiatives to enhance equipment and facilities relate to the provision ofmodern multimedia facilities and network connections (intranet, the Internet and individual e-mail addresses, etc.) for schools, mainly at primary and secondary levels. In some systems,schools are being equipped in this way for the first time whereas, in others, it is more a ques-tion of updating facilities that fail to satisfy current requirements, or of increasing the presenceand use of ICT and the number of those who derive direct benefit from it.
Some systems refer below to initiatives for the benefit of specific target groups (such as schoolsin rural areas, special education and the handicapped).
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II. RESULTS OF THE SURVEY
The allocation of appropriate equipment offering sound basic facilities and networking poten-tial is also linked to the development of a whole range of on-line services intended, in mostcases, for teachers and sometimes for learners. Among them are the pooling of educationalresources (such as course teaching materials), educational software databases, the exchangeof good practice, discussion groups on practice and methods, skills self-evaluation tools andthe networking of digital libraries.
In a first group of countries, efforts to provide facilities are focused primarily on theimplementation of networks for the transmission of educational content and services.They include the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Iceland and Norway, as well asGermany, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom, all four of which continue at thesame time to invest substantially in improving their basic facilities. For example, theGerman initiative ‘D 21: innovation and jobs in the information society of the 21st cen-tury’ is encouraging the development of on-line teaching and learning by means of awhole set of projects for the different levels of education, as well as the private sectorand public administration. A second group of countries, while also working to develop this kind of network, con-centrate more on providing schools with computers, general and educational softwareand Internet connections. Belgium (the French and German-speaking Communities),Italy, Luxembourg, Austria and Portugal are involved primarily in computer networkingwithin the European Schoolnet initiative, whereas Denmark, Germany, Spain, Greece,Liechtenstein and Malta are developing their own national networks. Provision of basicfacilities has not reached an advanced stage in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Hungary,Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia, which have nonetheless undertaken major networkdevelopment initiatives. A third group of countries, namely Bulgaria, Estonia, Cyprus, Lithuania and Poland, areconcentrating essentially on the provision of basic facilities (computers and Internet con-nections).
Generally speaking, most initiatives are concerned with equipping locations specially reservedfor education and training, meaning schools (or very similar institutions). Measures to encour-age the use of computers at a more personal level and to provide the appropriate facilities(portable or home-based computers) are far less common. Where they exist for the benefit ofteachers, they are generally coupled with substantial training initiatives. Similar measures forlearners are rarer still and targeted primarily at students in higher education by providing themwith financial support. For example, Italy is planning to offer interest-free loans for the pur-chase of personal computers.
Other kinds of facilities, such as those for video-conferencing and televisual communication,are regarded as of very secondary importance.
Partnerships that include private partners are primarily involved in the provision of equipmentand facilities, and especially Internet connections. While these partnerships extend across thewhole of the EU, they are harder to develop in smaller countries because of their quantitatively
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weak demand, and are significantly less numerous in the pre-accession countries. Where theyexist, they are established following negotiations between the appropriate administrative lev-els and computer and software suppliers or telecommunications companies. They lead to theprovision of schools with computers and software at preferential rates, and school connectionsthat are either free or also at reduced rates.
The Flemish Community of Belgium and Norway have established partnerships enablingschools to obtain cheaply computers that are already configured. In Germany, an associationof 120 high tech firms helps schools develop a computer infrastructure at reduced rates, whilealso offering them technical assistance, advice and services provided by qualified staff. InSweden, teachers who have been trained keep their computer at the end of their course. InIceland, IBM offers pilot upper secondary schools a wireless network infrastructure, while theschools, in turn, lease IBM portable computers for students and teachers.
As regards electronic networking and the distribution of products and services in Ireland, Intelhas assumed responsibility for the development, maintenance and operation of the Scoilnetnetwork for three years from September 1999. In the Netherlands, 75 providers make prod-ucts and services available on the Kennisnet network and offer access to 200 other websiteswith on-line content and products developed, maintained and financed by publishers. InNorway, an Internet database matches the skills requirements of employers to potentialemployees who are appropriately qualified, and provides a market place for higher educationinstitutions to promote their courses, often delivered electronically.
Teacher training initiatives
In nearly all systems, action in the field of teacher training is a top priority as regards the inclu-sion and use of ICT in education.
The action concerned relates to both initial and in-service training. It involves either inclusionin the training programme of modules or constituent courses devoted to ICT, or the establish-ment of innovative or less formalised arrangements.
The first possibility normally entails basic general training in the understanding and use ofequipment and software. In most cases, this provision is for those intending to teach at primaryand secondary level. Very occasionally, it considers ICT primarily in terms of its use for teach-ing purposes. Training in ICT may also be approached in relation to the teaching of specificsubjects such as foreign languages or sciences.
While it was not the purpose of the present survey to analyse the content of training, somecountries nevertheless provided information on the subject as indicated illustratively below.
Greece offers both initial and in-service training for primary schoolteachers and in-service training for secondary schoolteachers, which is divided into the following three
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levels: 1) training in basic computer skills; 2) incorporation of computer tools and ICTinto the educational process and 3) familiarising trainees with educational software. There are also three levels of ICT training in Luxembourg and Finland which are con-cerned with in-service training of secondary schoolteachers and the initial and in-serv-ice training of all teachers, respectively. These levels are 1) mastery of rudimentarycomputer techniques for the use of basic software (Word), 2) knowledge of searchengines, e-mail and understanding of the basic principles governing the use of ICT inteaching, and 3) advanced skills for the use of computer resources for the processes ofteaching and learning (familiarity with appropriate educational software and availablecomputer software, etc.) and the acquisition of specialised ICT skills relating, for exam-ple, to the establishment of suitable digital learning facilities, data analysis, advice andguidance for other teachers, and action as networking experts. Liechtenstein has identified the following four levels of training which correspond to fourcategories of teacher: 1) teachers who need their computer to prepare lessons, 2) teach-ers who need it to give their lessons, 3) computer science teachers and 4) teachers whomake more intensive or specialised use of computers. Each type of requirement has itscorresponding level of initial and in-service training for all levels of education.In Ireland, under the Training of Trainers Programme, the Department of Education andScience provides a wide-ranging programme of retraining for staff in first, second andthird level education and training centres. The training provided is focused on identi-fied needs at each level and varies widely in content, duration and mode of delivery,both within and between sectors. In the university sector, the programme is managedand coordinated by the Higher Education Authority. Universities are invited to submitproposals for courses in the following three areas:• staff development in teaching methodologies,• development of management skills for all categories of staff,• updating knowledge and skills in technological, scientific and organisational fields.
These training measures are backed by special interrelated initiatives. This occurs in Swedenunder the ITiS initiative which offers training to 70 000 teachers (around half of the teachersin primary and upper secondary education) thus bolstering the impact of training. All of themreceive a free computer which they keep for their own use when training is over. To boost theeffectiveness of training in the United Kingdom (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), a num-ber of schemes have been introduced to provide subsidised or, in some cases, free personalcomputers to eligible teachers and headteachers. Another way in which the United Kingdomis boosting the impact of training is by coordinating its provision with the provision of com-puter equipment, facilities and services.
Alongside – or instead of – standard training programmes, there are more flexible and inno-vative arrangements, the purpose of which is to make teachers more aware of how they canincorporate ICT into their activity, or to provide them with training or support in this respect.Electronic networks transmit products, educational services and self-training tools and providefor the exchange among peers of experience and good practice. Among the many countriesthat have invested in the establishment of this kind of network (see above reference to the pro-
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vision of equipment and facilities), France, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom andIceland have done so to a particularly marked degree. The European Schoolnet (15) is a furtherexample of this kind of initiative at European level.
Other multimedia resources are sometimes available to teachers for training purposes. Theyinclude special on-line software and learning centres or continuing education centres such asthose established in Greece and, more particularly, Iceland and Sweden. As part of a wide-ranging operation involving different sectors to boost the information society, Spain haslaunched a series of actions to train primary and secondary schoolteachers in use of theInternet, HTML and new technologies. In Greece, a database has been established to meet theICT requirements of teachers and trainers. Austria is developing partnerships with firms in theadvanced technology sector and setting up many e-Learning academies to provide special ICTtraining for teachers. A CD-ROM called E-Fit, Österreichs Lehrer in das Internet (E-Fit, makingAustrian teachers aware of the Internet era) offers introductory assistance to all those who havenot yet worked with the Internet during their courses. The Netherlands is offering a flexiblemethod of continuous training that makes use of distance training software, training centres,computer laboratories, networks and similar facilities.
The training and availability in schools of one or several ICT resource persons, coordinators orspecialists is another complementary approach to standard teacher training. These resourcepersons, who in most cases are themselves teachers, are trained to the highest level in ICT. Theirrole is to advise and offer informal training to their colleagues, encourage them to include ICTin their teaching, and support them and act as experts in managing computer networks andovercoming complex problems. Arrangements of this kind exist in Greece, France, Finland,Iceland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta.
By contrast, very few countries report on training for the benefit of non-teaching staff. Whereit exists, it is for school heads or librarians (as in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Estoniaand Lithuania). Malta trains primary and secondary schoolteachers in ICT in a variety of ways,as well as providing ICT training for school heads and administrative staff in secondary edu-cation.
Public/private partnerships are sometimes established to train teachers. In Germany, 120,000teachers have already been trained on a course developed with Intel. Private partnerships arealso involved in teacher training in France and Italy.
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(15) http://www.eun.org
The inclusion of ICT in courses
ICT is almost a universal feature of primary and secondary school courses, both as a schoolsubject and a teaching resource (16).
For example, as part of its effort to incorporate ICT more effectively into education, France hasintroduced measures for the use of ICT in all subjects in new curricula for collèges. The recentlydevised brevet informatique (computer science and Internet certificate) will soon be a meansof testing the skills of all final-year collège pupils in the practical use of multimedia tools. Aspart of lycée reform, teaching in ICT for first-year lycée pupils has been established since1999, while ICT is also steadily increasing its foothold in courses in French, physics with chem-istry and the earth and life sciences. In addition, France has a product labelling policy gearedto the development of quality products.
Furthermore, in combined initiatives such as those in Germany and Italy, efforts to providesuitable equipment and facilities, train teachers, boost educational methodologies which makethe most of the special features of ICT, and develop educational content are closely interrelated.
While inclusion of ICT in courses is a decisive factor, attention should be drawn to measures,such as the following, which further the effective practical application of these decisions:
Certain initiatives involve schools in the production of content by asking them to analyseand formulate their requirements and decide what products they need. Schools thencontribute to the development of the proposals selected. Luxembourg, the Netherlandsand Slovakia (Infovek) adopt this kind of approach.
In Austria, action is being undertaken to develop on-line educational content. The aimis to prepare and provide teachers and students with course materials and informationabout digitally-based training. Criteria for selecting and evaluating platforms or sys-tems for managing learning are to be drawn up, first and foremost, for schools, uni-versities and other higher education institutions. Educational content packages for indi-vidual learning are to be built up with the help of content providers. All educationalcontent on the Internet (whether it can be consulted free of charge by anybody, or priorregistration is required as in the case of apprenticeship courses) will be accessed via asingle address by means of an Internet home page established before the end of 2002.Educational content pages will be regularly updated and teachers will be helped to usethese resources in their courses. Educational content will be prepared by teachers onthe electronic platforms of universities or firms so that each student can follow the con-
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(16) For further information, readers should consult the indicators provided by Eurydice in the 99/2000 edition of KeyData in Education (Chapter J) and a forthcoming update which will be available as a separate publication at theend of 2001, entitled Basic Indicators on the Incorporation of ICT into European Education Systems: 2000/2001Annual Report.
tent of a course at any point in time (this measure applies in particular to remedialcourse examinations). Apprenticeship based on distance education will be introducedin training sectors where demand is especially high (as in the case of HTL/Fachschulefür EDV und Organisation provision). In general, the best forms of good practice willbe extensively promoted.
In the United Kingdom, the government is investing heavily in a number of ICT initia-tives. The National Grid for Learning (NGfL) refers both to an educational portal, orgateway website, and the programme for providing schools and other institutions withappropriate infrastructure. Its aims are: • to provide a national learning resource to help raise educational standards and, in
particular, to meet the government’s literacy and numeracy targets and improve thequality of life and Britain’s international competitiveness;
• to deliver high quality educational software and services to teachers, pupils andother learners through public/private partnerships;
• to remove barriers to learning to ensure equality of access for all, including those inisolated rural areas, those with special educational needs or those in areas of urbandeprivation;
• to provide an information and learning resource for teachers to improve their ICTskills.
The provision of available content in digital form is undertaken in France, for example, to boostthe use of ICT in courses. Furthermore, as part of French lycée reform, the production of suit-able multimedia materials for courses goes hand in hand with their transmission to teachersand their use by pupils in their supervised individual activity. This initiative amounts to morethan simply making computer resources available, since they correspond to the subjects beingtaught and provide support for pupils and teachers when using ICT for specific purposes.
The already mentioned moves to ensure that one or more ICT specialists can provide supportto teachers would appear to encourage the thorough incorporation of ICT in the processes ofteaching and learning. The same may be said of action to identify precisely the new generalskills required by various groups of staff and the means by which they can be acquired. Forexample, the Netherlands has introduced additional measures to train school heads and math-ematics and foreign languages teachers who, although they have technical training in ICT andon-line multimedia products at their disposal, have felt that in practice they lack the expertiseto make use of ICT in their work.
Specific supporting initiatives
The French Community of Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom,Hungary and Slovenia report that they have set up centres of expertise, or established centresor made arrangements for research and development to support and supplement efforts else-where to provide equipment and facilities, train teachers and develop educational content.
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The aim of all such initiatives is to further the introduction of ICT into teaching and learning,even where action focuses on different fields such as the development and promotion of train-ing (Belgium), the design and development of appropriate and effective software and multi-media products (Austria, the United Kingdom/Scotland and Slovenia), learning environmentsand the establishment of networks (Finland), distance education (Distum in Sweden), and thedefinition of strategies to boost a wide range of services and advisory facilities (Hungary).
In the French Community of Belgium, the Conseil de l’éducation aux médias (CEM, orCouncil for Education in the Media) is responsible for including media education in ini-tial and in-service training courses, establishing priorities for such education, andencouraging partnerships. The CEM organises symposia and day-long study initiativeson the use of multimedia in education, prepares training recommendations, conductsaudits and publishes brochures to boost awareness of these matters among teachers.In Denmark, the Learning Lab Denmark is an independent research institute on learn-ing and the development of resources in the public and private sectors which includesthe whole question of ICT in its activities. In this respect, it aims to broaden the scopefor action and extend public/private partnerships.In order to develop high quality learning environments and evaluate and improveappropriate models and strategies, Finland has launched a major research and devel-opment initiative intended to provide a multidisciplinary network for schools and uni-versities. This will deliver guidance on network development, make proposals on howICT can enhance schools, and encourage the development of international contacts andthe market for educational products. The same initiative has also led to the establish-ment of a school specialising in research on learning environments.In Sweden, Distum supports distance education and is also a centre for advice andinformation on the contribution to it of ICT. Distum also administers and promotes tech-nical and research projects.The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) in the United Kingdom promotes theinnovative application and use of ICT in higher education and non-compulsory uppersecondary education by providing vision and leadership and funding the network infra-structure. It helps institutions to create, administer and maintain managed learning envi-ronments. It also encourages the exchange of information and experience, especially atinternational level.In Slovenia, a research and development initiative has led to the establishment of fivecentres for research, development and innovation in faculties and schools. The sameventure has also resulted in 20 major development projects a year for the productionof educational software and educational materials on the Internet, and 100 smallerschemes for the production of educational content, also on the Internet. The initiativealso supports involvement in international research.
The establishment or development of virtual distance education courses (Denmark, Spain,Finland, the United Kingdom and Norway) is another form of expanding initiative, for whichthere are two models. The first is the creation of virtual universities entirely based on this con-cept, while the second is the provision of on-line courses which have also been given in stan-
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dard classroom form in conventional educational institutions. Finland also supports the devel-opment of virtual schools.
Concluding observations
The first finding from the analysis of the survey is that ICT is indeed present in the educationsystems of the EU and EFTA/EEA countries. And in some countries, it is not a misrepresenta-tion to say it has become an integral part of systems. The situation in systems in the pre-acces-sion countries is more contrasted. Unlike their past actions whose results were far from anunqualified success, their present initiatives appear to be yielding much better results. The val-ues current in our society, the more conspicuous presence of ICT in daily life, the more effec-tive coordination and consequences of action to provide equipment and facilities, training,services and resources in the field of education, as well as the positive impact of private pro-motional market investment, all account for this state of affairs. However, further quantitativeand, above all, qualitative progress is still desirable. The devising and refinement of mech-anisms to measure and assess ongoing developments is an area of activity that has to be sus-tained both nationally and at European level, with due regard for the ready comparability ofdata.
The second point to emerge is the prime importance of communicative activity in the inclusionof ICT in education systems. As the range of equipment and facilities available increasinglyboosts the scope of aspects dependent on effective networking, many initiatives for the benefitof teachers are exploiting those aspects through, for example, personal e-mail addresses,training in the use of the Internet and other electronic communications, facilities for discussionor the sharing of practice among peers and easier database access. By comparison, projectswhich primarily reflect educational or teaching concerns, in terms of method or content, arefar fewer in number. In order to enhance the specific role of ICT as a learning resource, fur-ther progress in this area will be necessary. Indeed, this has to occur if the specific advantagesof ICT highlighted by many of those with a stake in the activities of education systems are tomaterialise. This applies, for example, to its potential for developing more autonomous andflexible processes, more proactive and committed attitudes to learning and greater coopera-tion among peers. The notion of a particular purpose underlying education is of crucial sig-nificance in this context and should be the focus of more intensive thought and discussion inthe debate concerned with the basic skills required by contemporary society. This is not simplya question of including a good knowledge of ICT and proficiency in its practical use amongthe basic skills necessary, but of exploiting its special potential for the acquisition of other skillsnow regarded as essential (such as initiative, problem-solving and teamwork, etc.).
Whether the aim is to make ICT a more integral part of education systems wherever appro-priate, improve measurement mechanisms (such as indicators and benchmarks, etc.), or inten-sify the debate on the basic skills and educational objectives in relation to which ICT is espe-cially significant, European cooperation in this area appears not only ever more necessary butthe focus of increasingly high hopes.
5
Results of the survey
33
European UnionBelgium 37Denmark 45Germany 49Greece 53Spain 57France 63Ireland 69Italy 77Luxembourg 83Netherlands 87Austria 93Portugal 97Finland 99Sweden 105United Kingdom 109
EFTA/EEAIceland 121Liechtenstein 125Norway 129
Pre-accession countriesBulgaria 133Czech Republic 135Estonia 139Cyprus 143Latvia 147Lithuania 151Hungary 155Malta 159Poland 163Romania 167Slovenia 171Slovakia 175
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III. NATIONAL DESCRIPTIONS
French Community
Aims and strategies
Two general aims• The incorporation of ICT into compulsory
education, which is regarded as a factor inboosting the economy, attaches priority totraining young people in use of these newtechnologies.
• This concern is coupled with determinationto develop a policy for equal opportunitiesensuring that all pupils can secure access toICT.
A general strategyThe incorporation of ICT into different sub-jects rather than introducing a special coursein this field.
Sharing of responsibilities
Close collaboration between the Regions ofWallonia and BrusselsSince the February 1998 cooperation agree-ment, the Regions of Wallonia and Brusselshave been working together to provideFrench Community schools with multimediaequipment. A monitoring committee estab-lished jointly with the Communities is super-vising the satisfactory implementation of thisprogramme.
In practice, each Region makes computer andtelecommunications equipment available andsees to its maintenance for three years (alsoassuming responsibility for its insuranceagainst theft, damage and deterioration).
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1
BelgiumThe French Community is supervising the sat-isfactory incorporation of ICT into educa-tional activity, including teacher training andarrangements for resource/contact per-sons (1), etc.
Independent management of schemes forprovision of computer facilities• In the Region of Wallonia, provision is
managed by the Ministry of TechnicalEquipment and Transport (MET).
• In the Region of Brussels, the computer cen-tre for the Region (CIRB) has been entrustedby the government with implementation ofthis programme.
• Coordination and monitoring of theschemes, Projet cyber-écoles (2) and Planmultimédia, (3) for the French Community ishandled by the ‘cyber school’ unit (AGERS– service for general affairs, research andinter-network monitoring).
Public/private partnerships
There are not really any partnerships of thiskind. However, the (solely public-sector) part-nership with Belgacom (4), under whichschools are offered preferential rates forInternet access via the I-line (see below) isdefinitely worthy of note.
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(1) Following the plan to provide ICT facilities to schoolsin the Region of Brussels, which was finalised betweenthe Minister/President of the Region and theMinister/(lady) President of the French Community inSeptember 1998, a ‘resource person’ responsible forquality maintenance has to be appointed by eachschool.
(2) For the Region of Wallonia.(3) For the Region of Brussels.(4) Belgacom is the leading supplier of global telecom-
munications facilities on the Belgian market. It is apublic limited liability company.
Major initiatives implementedby the French Community
a) Primary and secondary levels
Since 1998, the French Community hasimplemented a scheme to provide all primaryand secondary schools (which it administersor subsidises) with multimedia equipment.
a1) The scheme for multimedia equipmentAims: provision of such equipment to schoolswhich so wish.Partners: the French Community workingwith the Regions of Wallonia and Brussels.Target groups: primary and secondaryschools.Period: 1998-2001.Progress to date: during the 1998/99 and1999/2000 school years, all primary andsecondary schools in Wallonia which wantedto obtain equipment were supplied with it, aswere all secondary schools in the Region ofBrussels in 1999. Its provision to primaryschools in this Region began in the same yearand is due for completion in 2001.
a2) Connecting to the InternetAims: while all secondary schools were ableto secure free access to the Internet via the CTI(Information Processing Centre) (5) intranetnetwork from September 1997, the real drivetowards connection to the Internet has beenbased on the August 1998 agreementbetween the French Community andBelgacom, which seeks to provide 1665schools with an I-line for two years at an annual cost (excluding tax) of EUR 496 (BEF 20 000), including installation of the
4 line, licence fees, and the cost of communica-tions on which there is no time limit.Partners: the French Community andBelgacom.Target groups: primary and secondaryschools.Period: since 1998.Progress to date: the agreement was amendedin April 2000 with a reduction in the cost of theI-line for schools (to EUR 245 instead of EUR495) and an increase in the number of lines(over 560) available to schools.Measures for promotion and implementation:until April 2000, out of a real annual cost estimated by Belgacom to be EUR 3 966 (BEF 160 000), the federal government con-tributed EUR 1 859 (BEF 75 000), andBelgacom EUR 1 611 (BEF 65 000), so thateach school only had to pay EUR 496 (BEF 20 000).
a3) In-service teacher trainingAims: ICT teacher training financed or sub-sidised by the French Community (includingtraining in handling computer tools, theirapplications for teaching purposes and thedevelopment of critical familiarity with ICTmedia) is managed by the administrativeauthority responsible for the school con-cerned. Courses are organised by two mainoperators, the non-profit-making associationfor the promotion of in-service training in non-denominational education (6) and the centrefor training in computer science in secondaryeducation (CeFIS) (7), respectively. In addition,
38
(5) From 2001, the CTI is no longer involved in the pro-vision of Internet access.
(6) This operator is concerned with managing in-servicetraining for teaching and auxiliary staff.
(7) Since 1981, this centre has provided teachers, as wellas the educational community as a whole, with train-ing and information related to the acquisition of keyskills needed for fully effective use of software toolsand a sound grasp of the essential principles of com-puter science.
each public sector of education (Community,provincial or municipal) is free to offer specialtraining courses for its teachers.
Target groups: primary and secondaryschoolteachers.
Progress to date: in 1999, schools adminis-tered by the French Community were offeredover 70 days of training on use of the Internetin teaching, at a cost of over EUR 19 000.
Measures for promotion and implementation:the minister of basic education has ear-marked a budget of EUR 168 567 (BEF 6.8million) for the development of basic trainingin the new technologies. In secondary educa-tion, the French Community has awarded anannual EUR 3.96 million (BEF 160 million) forin-service teacher training.
b) Tertiary level
Decree of 12 December 2000 on the initialtraining of primary and lower secondaryschoolteachers
Aims: incorporate new content into trainingincluding knowledge and teaching applica-tions of ICT and ICT media. A 15-hour mod-ule will be devoted to this in the first year,while in the second and third years, the num-ber of hours will be increased to 30. Futureteachers will be supervised by technical andeducational resource staff allocated to thevarious teaching departments.
Partners: education departments in thehautes écoles (non-university tertiary levelinstitutions) and primary and secondaryschools which have to seek as wide a varietyof partners as possible.
Target groups: trainee primary and lowersecondary schoolteachers.
Period: the decree will be implemented fromSeptember 2001.
c) ICT media/multimedia education
Aims: since 1995, the French Community(working through the Council for Education inthe Media and three officially recognisedresource centres) has introduced a scheme toprovide education in the ICT media for allprimary and secondary school staff.The Council has been entrusted with estab-lishing priorities in this area, incorporatingmedia education into school curricula andinitial and in-service training, and encourag-ing the necessary partnerships.The main aim of the three resource centres isto devise and promote initial and in-servicetraining initiatives. These centres are theCentre for Self-training and In-serviceTraining for Education administered by theFrench Community (CAF); the LiègeAudiovisual Centre for education adminis-tered by the provinces and municipalities;and the non-profit-making association,Média animation, in the case of grant-aidedprivate education.Partners: the French Community, the Councilfor Education in the Media (CEM) and theresource centres for education in the media.Target groups: staff in primary and second-ary education.Progress to date: among its various actionsto heighten awareness in this field, the CEMhas in particular initiated several seminarsand ‘study days’ on the topic of multimediaapplied to education; it has also drafted rec-ommendations on initial and in-service train-ing, audited initial and in-service trainingexperts and operators, and publishedbrochures to raise awareness among teach-ers, etc.Measures for promotion and implementation:the annual budget for the proposals (with the2000 budget as base) is EUR 312 345(BEF 12.6 million).
Belgium
39
(8) This has involved as yet informal contacts between thepublic and private sectors and Belgacom for the pur-pose of developing already existent OneLine lines toreach all German-speaking countries.
German-speaking Community
Aims and strategies
Since 1998, the German-speakingCommunity has been conducting a deliberatepolicy for the development of ICT.
Two main aims
This policy is focused on two main aims:
• action to develop ICT in schools;
• initiatives concerned with in-service train-ing and with fully mobilising the energies ofcivil society.
Sharing of responsibilities
In order to rationalise its human and techni-cal resources for bringing about innovation inICT, the German-speaking Community con-centrates on joint action involving think tanksconvened by the different levels of authoritydepending on needs. One such is the work-ing group of network administrators whichincludes representatives from the various mi-nisterial secretariats, as well as theCommunity’s computerisation department;another example is the informal committeeresponsible for supervising work carried outunder the Learnbox project (see below).
Meanwhile, the school inspectorate isincreasingly involved in thinking and discus-sion about ICT and will probably take overfrom the think tanks (when the issue of facili-ties is superseded by that of their profitableuse for educational purposes).
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Public/private partnerships
Partnerships are not easy because theGerman-speaking Community market is not amagnet for commercial producers of multi-media content.
Mention should nevertheless be made of theExplorian (8) initiative which might be supple-mented by a German-language product(already available to the German-languagemarket in Germany, Austria and Switzerland)if ongoing negotiations with those who deviseFrench-language projects are successful.
Major initiatives implementedby the German-speaking
Community
a) Connecting secondary schools in theGerman-speaking Community to theInternet
Aims: 1998 agreement between the German-speaking Community and Belgacom, whichhas sought to provide as many secondaryschools as possible with an I-line (all schoolsin the Community are now connected).Partners: the German-speaking Communityand Belgacom.Target groups: secondary schools.Period: since 1998.
b) The CyberMédia initiative
Aims: provide schools that so wish with mul-timedia equipment and facilities.
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40
Partners: the Wallonia and German-speak-ing regions.Target groups: primary and secondaryschools.Period: since 1999.Progress to date: in 2000, 13 upper second-ary schools were provided with computerand multimedia equipment; primary schoolsreceived 300 computers.
c) Regular involvement in Netd@ys andopening of a Learnbox unit
Aims: the participation of the German-speak-ing Community in Netd@ys (9) is a means bywhich it can heighten general public aware-ness of the new technological challenges aris-ing from ICT. During the Netd@ys in 2000,two teachers who assisted with the introduc-tion of ICT in primary and secondary schoolsopened an interactive educational Internetwebsite, known as Learnbox, which amongstother things includes databases providing forthe exchange of practical information amongall schools throughout the Community.
Flemish Community
Aims and strategies
General aims• The acquisition and development of know-
ledge regarding ICT should constitute anew ‘lifelong learning’ process.
• Schools should make arrangements amongthemselves for ‘lifelong learning’ to becomea reality and an opportunity open to every-one.
1
Specific aims• The Flemish government is encouraging
schools to include ICT in their curricula,emphasising the need to link learningabout it to the subjects taught at school.
• At the same time, the Flemish governmentis attaching priority to the initial and in-service training of teachers, as well as tothe needs of schools regarding their infra-structure for computerisation.
Five general strategies• Providing schools with hardware and soft-
ware equipment;• familiarising them with changes in the field
of computer science;• training teachers in ICT;• promoting projects for international coop-
eration in the field;• fostering evaluation and research in ICT.
Sharing of responsibilities
At government level: the educational use ofICT is defined in terms of ‘attainment targets’(the pursuit of quality in learning, attitudesand skills; curricular quality, etc.) which haveto be achieved by the majority of pupilsdepending on their level and/or subjects.These aims are formulated by the academicservice of the department of education andratified by the Flemish parliament. Theinspectorate is responsible for determiningwhether the targets have been met. In addi-tion to these tasks, the government makes anactive contribution in the area of basic multi-media facilities for schools (software pack-ages, advisory services, etc.).
At the level of the various sectors: theschools administered by the FlemishCommunity, the denominational schools, etc.are responsible for the introduction of educa-
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(9) The Netd@ys initiative is discussed briefly on p. 18 inPart 2 of Chapter I.
(10) The private company ECO PC services is specialisedin refurbishing computer equipment for the benefit ofeducational institutions and non-governmental organ-isations (NGOs). It is supplied by big firms wishing toget rid of their run-down equipment and offers goodcheap facilities to the foregoing institutions andNGOs.
tional software, advisory and support serv-ices and courses.
Public/private partnerships
In addition to the setting up of a ‘Task Force’by the department of finance to boost pub-lic/private partnerships, there are three maintypes of partnership:
a) The PC/KD ProgrammeThis programme is supported by some 30companies which are producers of hardwareor software suppliers (such as Apple Benelux,Barcard cvba, Belgacom, Brutélé, Bull-Packard-Bell, Compaq Computer NV,Siemens Computers, Philips, etc.). Throughtheir retailers, they offer discounts to schoolsequipping themselves with hardware andsoftware under the Programme.
b) The I-lineIn response to federal legislation entrustingBelgacom with the task of linking schools tothe Internet at a reduced cost, this companyhas defined the I-line product.
c) The ‘PC in the classroom’ initiativeCollaboration between the department ofeducation and the Flemish Economic Unionwhich offers schools the means of acquiringcomputers at bargain prices, via ECO PCservices (10).
3
Major initiatives implementedby the Flemish Community
a) Initiatives concerned with infrastructure
a1) The PC/KD programmeAims: launched in 1998, this programmeawards funds to provide classrooms with mul-timedia equipment (hardware, software,modems, etc.). The ultimate aim is that, by2002, all schools in the Community shouldhave one computer for every 10 pupils (in the10-18 age-group).Partners: the Flemish Community and severalprivate partners in the computer equipmentsector.Target groups: primary and secondaryschools.Period: 1998-2002.Progress to date: in August 1998, all pri-mary schools in the Community receivedfunding. Secondary schools have done sosince 1999.Measures for promotion and implementation:the estimated cost of the final phase of the ini-tiative is EUR 64.5 million.
a2) The I-lineAims: as in the case of the otherCommunities, there is an agreement betweenBelgacom and the Flemish Community for theprovision of Internet access to schools on spe-cial terms. Schools are offered 24-hour-a-day use of the I-line for EUR 248 a year(including installation, communication andregistration fee).Partners: the Flemish Community andBelgacom.Target groups: primary and secondaryschools.Period: 1998-2000. On 29 March 2000, thefederal Ministry of Telecommunicationsgranted an extension to this initiative,
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emphasising the scope for moving from ISDNto ADSL technology.
a3) The Telenet Pandora initiativeAims: Telenet, the operator providing foraccess to the Internet, has launched thePandora initiative for schools. The annualcost (excluding tax) of EUR 496 primarilycovers installation, communication expenses,support services and Internet access between6 a.m. and 6 p.m., etc. Partners: the Flemish Community and Telenet.Target groups: primary and secondaryschools.
a4) Initiatives to promote video-conferenc-ing
Aims: the department of education offersfinancial assistance (11) to schools for video-conferencing facilities and associated training.Partners: the Flemish Community and theLandcommanderij Alden Biesen cultural centre.Target groups: primary and secondaryschools.
b) Initiatives to familiarise pupils with ICT
b1) The educational software project forspecial education
Aims: the project has been initiated in pilotschools for the purpose of using educationalsoftware to teach pupils with handicaps orlearning difficulties.Partners: the Flemish Community and theUniversities of Leuven and Ghent.Target groups: pupils enrolled in special edu-cation.
Progress to date: the results of this projecthave been communicated to all schools andled to the Terra Nova project (12).
b2) The European Network of InnovativeSchools (ENIS)
Aims: this network seeks to link up schoolsrecognised for their experience in the area ofICT. Partners: the Flemish Community and theEuropean Schoolnet.Target groups: all types of institution (forcompulsory, vocational, higher and continu-ing education and teacher training, etc.). Itshould be noted that the majority of the ENISprojects (virtual school, Enis, eSchola andmyEurope) are for teachers in compulsoryeducation.Progress to date: in 2000, 17 schools tookpart in the project.
b3) The matrix programmeAims: under the Ghent IV agreements with theNetherlands, the Flemish Community has devel-oped the matrix programme of educationaldatabase software for primary schools. The pro-gramme consists of a CD-ROM containingdescriptions of Dutch-language educational soft-ware written by teachers, educators and experts.This software is free for primary schools.Partners: the Flemish Community and theNetherlands.Target groups: primary schools.Progress to date: since 1999, software which issimilar (but can be consulted on line) is availablefor secondary education, though solely for thegeneral courses of lower secondary education(http://www.ond.vlaaderen.be/secundair_scholen/edusoft).
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(12) Terra Nova is a project for pupils and teachers in the fifthand sixth years of primary education and the first year ofsecondary education, which seeks to promote the use ofICT during school hours. For further details, see theInternet website: http://www.terranova.kuleuven.be.
(11) Each year, the education department earmarks a newbudget for this initiative.
(13) Organisation for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment.
c) Teacher training initiatives
c1) In-service teacher trainingAims: familiarise teachers with the new tech-nologies by encouraging exchanges ofexpertise through computer networking.Target groups: primary and secondaryschoolteachers.Measures for promotion and implementation:the Ministry of Education has awarded EUR3.09 million (BEF 125 million), for the devel-opment of networks of regional expertiseintended to promote international coopera-tion in training and technical assistance.
c2) Initial teacher training
Aims: in order to prepare future teachers fortheir new roles in the information society, a dis-cussion about innovation has been initiated viathe higher education Internet website, while thedepartment of education is supporting innova-tive projects in higher education. The projectsrelate in particular to the following: the pro-duction of teaching materials and tests; thetraining of instructors in new educational tech-nologies; the establishment of flexible and effi-cient educational infrastructures; the develop-ment of new educational methods and tech-niques; and the creation of databases gearedto the development of educational materials.Target groups: primary and secondaryschoolteachers.
d) Initiatives to promote international coop-eration projects
d1) OECD initiatives (13)Aims: a seminar on ICT (June 1998) attendedby experts from 25 OECD member countries
and European Commission representativesresulted in the decision to organise activitiesconcerned with the following: quality criteriafor educational software and multimedia;changes in the market for educational soft-ware and the potential for partnerships in thisarea; and research and evaluation of theimpact of ICT in education.
Partners: 25 OECD member countries.
Period: 1998-2001.
Progress to date: for each of the foregoingareas of activity, working groups report onprogress to the bodies of the OECD-CERI(Centre for Educational Research andInnovation).
d2) European Schoolnet
Aims: the European Schoolnet network wasinitiated following the informal meeting of theministers of education in Amsterdam on 2-3March 1997, and the proposal of theSwedish minister to set up a network ofEuropean schools under the Commissionaction plan, ‘Learning in the InformationSociety’. The network enables schools in EUcountries to communicate, test educationalresources and services and invest in multilat-eral projects, etc. Thanks the network, aninventory of school needs in ICT can also beestablished.
Partners: the European Commission, minis-ters of education in EU countries, schools inthose countries.
Target groups: schools in EU countries.
Progress to date: the network demonstratesthat schools have a considerable need forclearly defined standards regarding educa-tional software, configuration, networks, etc.
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Aims and strategies
General aims• Provide all schools with reliable inexpen-
sive connections;• provide schools with an intranet;• ensure there are enough computers to
incorporate ICT into education;• develop significant ICT-related content;• make ICT a part of initial teacher training
and awarding teachers an ‘ICT drivinglicence’ to formally certify their knowledge;
• adapt courses in accordance with ICT-driven changes;
• develop on-line courses to promote lifelonglearning;
• improve coordination between researchinto ICT and education.
StrategiesThe strategies for achieving these aims arecontained in the ‘ICT in the education sys-tem’ action plan initiated in 1998 (for 1998-2003) by the Danish Ministry of Education.
The action plan covers five areas of concern:• the implications of ICT for pupils/students;• teachers and ICT;• areas of study and ICT;• fair and flexible access to lifelong learning;• coordination between research into ICT
and education.
Sharing of responsibilities
The Folkeskolen (primary and lower second-ary schools): the municipalities are responsi-ble for the operational facilities of these
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Denmarkschools, as well as for the recruitment andremuneration of their teachers. The Ministryof Education does no more than provide verygeneral recommendations during the prepa-ration of school curricula.
The Gymnasiet (upper secondary schools):the counties are responsible for these schoolsand exercise sole financial jurisdiction overthem. In contrast to the situation in theFolkeskolen, the Ministry of Education super-vises curricular aspects.
Institutions for vocational education: theseinstitutions are independent but entirely state-financed. Each has its own board made up ofemployer/employee representatives from thelocal business community who are responsi-ble for breaking down the enrolment-basedstate allocation to the institution. From 1997to 2000, these institutions received EUR10.07 million (DKK 75 million) for computerequipment and facilities, and were equippedto a high standard in 2001.
Higher education institutions: their situationin management and administrative terms issimilar to that of the vocational educationestablishments, except that their boards havefewer representatives from the local businesscommunity. Their computer facilities,although less impressive than those of thevocational institutions, are undergoing signifi-cant development. A large proportion of stu-dent residences with their own networks offerstudents unlimited access to the Internet at avery cheap monthly rate.
Public/private partnerships
There are no public/private partnerships.Private companies may of course enter intoagreements with educational institutions, but
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Denmark
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one or more public-sector bodies invariablyadminister the funds. Only the Learning LabDenmark initiative (see below), which has justlimited room for manoeuvre financially, mightpossibly qualify for consideration as a pub-lic/private partnership.
Major initiatives implemented
a) General initiatives (contained in the ICTaction plan)
a1) School connectionsAims: this initiative covers two aspects.First, since 1994, the Ministry of Educationhas extended the range of the specialist edu-cation network, Sektornet, which in 2001now covers all educational establishments.However, 25% of the Folkeskolen have nottaken advantage of this availability although,via the IT, media and the Folkeskole project,they are connected to the other institutions(with free installation operations for a two-year period, but liability for communicationexpenses). Secondly, under the terms govern-ing national subsidies for school Internet con-nections, the government obliges privateschools themselves to fund the setting up ofan intranet. This initiative has proved suc-cessful, as between 80 and 100% of theseschools have Internet access.Target groups: schools (all levels).Period: 2000-2003.Measures for promotion and implementation:around EUR 80.59 million (DKK 600 million)in all.
a2) Provision of schools with computerfacilities
Aims: although the State has subsidised public-sector schools to assist them with the provisionof computer facilities, the municipalities (in thecase of the Folkeskolen) and the counties (in the
4
case of the Gymnasiet) have been responsiblefor purchasing the equipment concerned.Progress to date: in 1999, the Folkeskolenhad one computer for, on average, 10.3pupils, the Gymnasiet one computer for 6.6pupils, and the vocational schools one com-puter for 2.6 pupils.
a3) Inclusion of ICT in initial teacher trainingAims: the 1998 Act on the training ofFolkeskole teachers states that computer sci-ence is to be included in all subjects. Futureteachers trained under the new Act will grad-uate from 2002 onwards. Training of thosewishing to qualify as Gymnasium and voca-tional school teachers occurs when they havesuccessfully completed their course for theMaster’s level Candidatus qualification. Forteachers in higher education, computer skillsare not required, although several universitieshave launched ‘computer science’ strategiescalling for teacher proficiency in the field.Progress to date: the initiative is too recentfor it to be evaluated.Measures for promotion and implementation:the ‘ICT driving licence’ held by 33% ofFolkeskole teachers in 2001, as well as themore specific subject-oriented certificatewhich Gymnasium teachers may be awardedfrom the spring of 2001, are among the pro-visions for implementation of the initiative.
a4) Adapting school subjects to ICTAims: despite work by the Ministry ofEducation along these lines since 1997, theresults have not been outstanding. However,the Ministry is expecting that the recentlyestablished Danish University of EducationalStudies will be able to make a significant con-tribution in this area.
a5) The development of on-line coursesAims: since 1990, distance provision hasbeen formally defined as a method of teach-
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ing and not an organisational procedure.Although the Ministry does not systematicallyrecord Internet courses, it acknowledges thegrowing similarity between classroom anddistance teaching. This has prompted it todevelop the virtual university (see below),particularly to compensate for the relativelack of higher education provision on theInternet.Target groups: all citizens.Measures for promotion and implementation:since 1996, the government has allocatedEUR 2.01 million (DKK 15 million) to boosteducation on the Internet. Provision has beendeveloped by UNI-C, a public-sector institu-tion which runs Sektornet (see above) and on-line services. Since 2001, a EUR 45.67 mil-lion subsidy (DKK 340 million) has beenawarded for a three-year period to the IT,media and the Folkeskole project.
a6) Promoting coordination between ICTresearch and teaching
Aims: since 1998, the Royal Danish Schoolof Educational Sciences, the Danish Institutefor Educational Research and the Centre forTechnology-supported Learning have workedtogether in the field of educational research.The Learning Lab Denmark initiative has beenset up within the Centre which is an inde-pendent institute of the Danish University ofEducational Studies.Partners: the Royal Danish School ofEducational Sciences, the Danish Institute forEducational Research and the Centre forTechnology-supported Learning.
b) Specific initiatives
b1) Denmark’s virtual universityAims: the university is a coordinating bodyfor the Danish universities and higher educa-tion institutions. It is responsible for offeringhigher education programmes via Internet
distance learning and intended, in the longterm, to match the level of the best providers.One of the main aims of the initiative is toachieve a quality service enabling studentsand people active in the labour market todevelop their skills on an ongoing basis.Another long-term aim is that the universitygateway should become the best updatedDanish site on the Internet for higher educa-tion distance learning, with access toDenmark’s electronic research library andother administrative information resourcesand databases. The gateway is due tobecome operational in September 2001.Partners: the Danish government, universitiesand institutions of higher education.Target groups: students in higher educationwho would like to use distance educationfacilities for some or all of their course; peo-ple active in the labour market who requirecontinuing education and training at a highlevel; public or private businesses in whichcontinuing training is a significant aspect oftheir strategy for competitiveness and/orhuman resources policy; higher educationinstitutions that provide the necessary materi-als for virtual learning in the distance univer-sity.Measures for promotion and implementation:the virtual university was established withEUR 5.37 million (DKK 40 million) from theDanish government. Special conditions weredrawn up. The university has to provide flex-ible Internet distance learning, transparencyand consistency across its range of courses,course descriptions for would-be users tocompare the different courses on offer, andsupport for distance education (involvingpossible cooperation with foreign universi-ties) for the benefit of foreign students andfirms. It is the responsibility of the individualeducational institutions associated with theuniversity to ensure quality requirements aremet.
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b2) The Learning Lab Denmark initiativeAims: launched on 1 July 2000, Learning LabDenmark is an independent institution of theDanish University of Educational Studies. It isfirst and foremost a research-based experi-mental body concerned with learning and thedevelopment of skills in (public-sector andprivate) businesses and educational institu-tions and organisations. Its aim is eventuallyto become an open research centre whichcarries out its activities throughout the coun-try in cooperation with a number of differentpartners.Partners: cooperation with educational insti-tutions, researchers, consultants and teach-
ers. Learning Lab experiments are carried outin a number of institutionally dependent con-sortia which engage in independent researchmanagement, while complying with certainspecific guidelines.Target groups: firms, institutions and educa-tional organisations.Period: 2000-2004.Measures for promotion and implementation:the Danish government has contributed EUR8.06 million (DKK 60 million) for a four-yearperiod and an additional EUR 3.22 million(DKK 24 million) also spread over four yearsare expected, together with external funding.
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Aims and strategies
General aims• Encourage a responsible, critical and cre-
ative approach on the part of pupils andstudents;
• include ICT in the initial and in-servicetraining of teachers;
• encourage partnerships between multi-media centres and the teacher traininginstitutes in the Länder.
Strategies• Measures relating to ICT facilities, content
and teacher training have been introducedat both federal and Land level.
• New teaching theories and methods arecentral to certain curricula and educationaldirectives and are subject to regularappraisal.
• Encouragement is given to improving theorganisation and content of focused multi-disciplinary work on educational andteaching-related aspects of the new media.
• Teachers regularly take steps to upgradethe qualifications acquired on completionof initial training.
• Special databases and gateways are pro-vided to deliver information and link previ-ously separate branches of in-service train-ing (vocational and university in-serviceteacher training).
• A wide range of ICT distance courses,qualifications and training has been devel-oped, and self-training on the Internet isencouraged.
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Germany Sharing of responsibilities
Land responsibilities: the ministries of educa-tion and research in the Länder are responsi-ble for the in-service training of their teachers(who are civil servants).
Municipal responsibilities: municipalities aregenerally responsible for the provision of ICTfacilities in public-sector schools.
Federal government responsibilities: the fed-eral authorities share responsibility with theLänder in areas concerned with tax law, liter-ary and artistic property rights, rights relat-ing to use of the Internet, distance educationand the quality assurance of services andeducational software. The federal govern-ment also provides financial assistance.
Public/private partnerships
Alongside public/private partnerships withlocal industry, there is a nation-wide effort(the D21 Initiative, ‘Innovation and Jobs inthe Information Society of the 21st Century’on which further information is given below)on the part of German industry to promotethe use of ICT throughout society in generaland the education system in particular. Theindustrial sector has helped to provide some20 000 schools with ICT facilities.
Among the most significant partnerships arethe following:• the most impressive contribution comes
from Deutsche Telekom which has providedall schools with free Internet access, as wellas 20 000 computers;
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Germany
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• as a result of the INTEL (1) in-serviceteacher training programme known as‘Teaching for the Future’ (INTEL is thepatented name of the front-ranking world-wide microelectronics company), 120 000teachers have been trained to use ICT bothin the classroom and for distance purposes;
• an association (2) of over 120 firms in theinformation technology sector (which waslaunched by the Ministry of Education andResearch and the Centre for Research andInformation Technology) is helping to pro-vide schools with computer-related infra-structure at preferential rates, while quali-fied staff from the same firms are offeringschools a free consultancy service.
Mention should also be made of the estab-lishment of media skills centres which, inorder to promote action by public/privatepartnerships, are offering high quality inter-national programmes for postgraduate qual-ifications, in close cooperation with foreignhigher education institutions.
Major initiatives implemented
a) Anschluss statt Ausschluss. IT in derBildung (The IT in education: communica-tion rather than isolation’ ActionProgramme)
Developed on the basis of the aims in theSeptember 1999 action programme andmeasures in the EU eEurope and eLearninginitiatives, the IT in education: communicationrather than isolation’ Action Programme con-stitutes the main federal government scheme
4
concerned with the educational applicationsof ICT.
The initiative is seeking to develop new formsof distance education and educational soft-ware, and devise sector-oriented solutions fortrade associations, and the crafts and othersectors reliant on a high proportion of labour.In several areas of federal administration,various models of distance education havebeen subsidised under numerous schemes forcontinuing education and training. Some ofthese initiatives are intended to supplementthe reorganisation of training at the work-place and continuing training, in such a waythat computer-assisted learning and trainingprogrammes are made compatible.
The federal government is making availableEUR 715.80 million (DEM 1.4 billion) for the Programme, EUR 130.38 million (DEM 255 million) of which are being allo-cated to vocational training institutions so thatthey can expand their computer resources. Asum of EUR 66.47 million (DEM 130 million)is earmarked for the development of newforms of distance education.
The following are its main components:
a1) The ‘Schools on line’ InitiativeAims: launched in1996, this initiative involv-ing the federal government and DeutscheTelekom seeks to provide all schools with freeInternet connections (including their installa-tion and monitoring) until the end of 2001 (3).Partners: the federal government andDeutsche Telekom.
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(1) INTEL is involved in the D21 Initiative. For furtherdetails, see the Internet website: http://www.intel.de
(2) Further information may be accessed onhttp://www.marktplatz-fuer-schulen.de.
(3) The federal government plans to extend this initiativefor an unspecified period beyond 2001.
Target groups: primary and secondaryschools.Period: 1996-2001.
a2) Support for the development of educa-tional software
Aims: initiative launched by the federalMinistry for Education and Research andconcerned with support for the developmentof educational software (4).Partners: the federal Ministry for Educationand Research and the Centre for Researchand Information Technology.Target groups: schools at all levels (includingvocational training establishments).Period: 2000-2004.Measures for promotion and implementation:funding of EUR 255.64 million (DEM 500 million) for 2000-2004.
a3) Programme to modernise vocationaleducation institutions
Aims: programme to modernise vocationaleducation institutions, which is centred on theprovision of ICT facilities and implemented bythe federal Ministry for Education andResearch.Partners: Federal Institute for VocationalTraining and various social partners.Target groups: vocational education institu-tions.Measures for promotion and implementation:EUR 130.38 million (DEM 255 million)
a4) Facilities for public librariesAims: secure Internet access for all publiclibraries, according priority to those withinadequate means.Target groups: public libraries.Progress to date: in 2000, half the librarieswere connected to the Internet.
b) The D21 (5) Initiative (Innovation andJobs in the Information Society of the21st Century) adopted on 22 September1999
b1) Actions supported by the federalMinistry for Education and Research
The federal Ministry for Education andResearch is concerned with the followingareas in particular:• development of the Lehrer-Online website
with a new priority called ‘Women teachersand pupils go online’ financed by theInfoschul measure;
• establishment of the DFN-Verein networkfor higher education and research institu-tions;
• promotion of three Internet teaching proj-ects for which the Ministry is awarding EUR 56.24 million (DEM 110 million) forfive years: the first involves the establish-ment of virtual cooperation amongFachhochschulen (6), the second concernsthe development of multimedia support forcourses in chemistry, and the third has todo with technical and organisationalapproaches to ‘telelearning’ in centres forcontinuing training;
• support for various types of industrial pilotproject involving companies, institutionsand teachers, etc.
b2) Actions supported by the federalMinistry for Economic Affairs andTechnology
The federal Ministry for Economic Affairs andTechnology is concerned with the followingareas in particular:• promotion of the ‘LERNET-web-based
learning in SMEs and public administra-tions’ competition, the aim of which is to
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(4) Further information is available at:http://www.gmd.de/NMB/PT/NMB.html.
(5) Further information at: http://www.initiatived21.de(6) Universities of Applied Sciences (ISCED 97 level 5A)
promote examples of good practice asregards the infrastructure for Internet-based training in the private sector or pub-lic administration. The ministry offers finan-cial support to the ten best projects andassists with their implementation;
• joint adoption of new training regulationswith the Ministry for Education andResearch.
c) Joint actions involving the federal gov-ernment and the Länder
c1) ‘Construction of institutions of highereducation’ joint action
Aims: this initiative, which aims to support theprogramme for providing computer facilities,the establishment of communications net-works in higher education institutions, andthe extension of opportunities for training incomputer science, has involved collaborationbetween the federal government and theLänder for some years.Measures for promotion and implementation:in 2000, the federal government and theLänder allocated EUR 83.34 million(DEM 163 million) under the 29th frameworkplan for university construction.
c2) Joint actions for distance educationAims: the federal government and the Länderhave worked out several joint actions for dis-tance education, for which they are earmark-ing EUR 5.11 million (DEM 10 million) annu-ally, and whose main common feature is the
use of computer networks and multimediacontent in education.Measures for promotion and implementation:the federal government and the Länder ear-marked EUR 122.71 million (DEM 240 million)to help higher education institutions develop theextensive use of ICT from 1996 to 2000.
c3) The SEMIK pilot project (Systematicincorporation of media and ICT inteaching and learning processes)
Aims: the initiative was one of several pilotprojects concerned with ‘new informationand communication technologies in the edu-cation system’, which were launched as farback as 1983 by the federal authorities andthe Länder via the Bund-Länder Commissionfor the establishment of training objectivesand the promotion of research (BLK). TheSEMIK project begun in 1998 aims to ensurethe continued introduction and use of ICT inall schools. The main objectives of the pro-gramme are initial and in-service teachertraining, the development of schools as wellas of educational concepts and school curric-ula, and the provision of technological tools.Target groups: schools at all levels.Progress to date: the project is being rigor-ously monitored and its results made avail-able to all schools.
d) Initiatives of the Länder
See the Internet website http://www.bildungsserver.de
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Aims and strategies
The Greek Ministry for Education andReligious Affairs has launched an‘Operational Programme for theInformation Society’ for the period 2000-2006 which extends previous initiatives suchas the 1996-2000 Odysseia action (1), andcomplements its general measures for provid-ing schools with equipment and facilities,linking them in a network and developing ICTin education.
Two general aimsThe plan has two general aims:• offer a service and better quality of living to
citizens;• contribute to general economic and human
resources development.
Strategies• Providing a network of all primary, sec-
ondary and special needs schools andadministrative units with ICT facilities,including hardware and suitable audio-visual equipment;
• finalising and modernising the nationalnetwork on education (EduNet), as well asits infrastructure and services, so that allschools can access the network by the endof 2001, and installing an intranet linkingall schools by 2006;
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Greece• ensuring rapid Internet access to teachers
and pupils, and continuing to improve theGreek University Network (GUNet) and thehigher education network managementcentres;
• setting up and/or modernising ‘computerlaboratories’ (2) in tertiary education;
• increasing the establishment of publicinformation centres via a network foryoung people in various sectors of society;
• undertaking expenditure on the eLearninginfrastructure, under a plan covering thewhole education system.
It should be noted that the general measuresof the Ministry of Education also attachimportance to introducing ICT into specialneeds education.
Sharing of responsibilities
a) In relation to administrative duties
As regards the planning of education poli-cies, the Pedagogical Institute (3) is jointlyresponsible with the ministerial departmentsconcerned for primary and secondary edu-cation.
Implemention and monitoring of pro-grammes are carried out by the departmentsof primary and secondary education in theMinistry. Four additional bodies are involvedin this task as far as implementation of
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(2) Rooms with computer equipment in which workinggroup activity is organised.
(3) A consultative body of the Ministry of Educationresponsible for research concerned with the primaryand secondary levels of education and drawing upeducational policy proposals. The Institute is alsoresponsible for curricular development and the draft-ing of school textbooks that it revises in accordancewith annual reports submitted to it by its educationaladvisers.
(1) Part of the Working Programme on ‘Education andInitial Vocational Training’, the Odysseia action itselfconsists of 19 programmes. Its aim is to include ICT inthe daily activities of over 380 secondary schools. TheMinistry of Education, the Pedagogical Institute andthe Institute of Computer Technology are responsiblefor implementing the programmes concerned.
Information Society projects is concerned,together with university units, TechnicalEducation Institutes and the Institute ofComputer Technology (CTI). They are:• the Implementation of Educational Projects
Department of the Ministry of Education(DIEFES);
• the Organisation for the Building ofSchools (OSK);
• the National Youth Institute (NEI);• the Pedagogical Institute (PI).
Projects calling for short-term financialadjustment are jointly implemented byschools and local authorities.
b) In relation to ‘products’
As regards hardware, the Ministry ofEducation fixes standards which are thenapproved by the PI. The OSK, the DIEFES orthe CTI submit calls for tender. The PI suppliesteaching equipment and materials andestablishes their standards.
Educational software used in schools isdeveloped, either following calls for tender orby universities or institutes working in part-nership with high tech companies.
Public/private partnerships
The Ministry of Education (the Directorates ofstudies for primary and secondary educa-tion), together with the PI and the CTI haveformed a partnership with the NationalTelecommunications Organisation (OTE) tosupport the development of a high capacitynetwork. The Ministry has also mobilised sig-nificant social resources comprising 69 uni-versity units and 19 research institutes andmuseums (in the Odysseia action, 1996).
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Major initiatives implemented
Notwithstanding the fact that, at all levels ofeducation, all national initiatives are con-cerned with the supply of hardware, thedevelopment and assessment of educationalsoftware and the training of teachers andother educational staff, special actions havebeen launched at each individual level.
a) Primary education: the Island ofPhaeakes Programme
Aims: initiated under the ‘Educational andInitial Vocational Training Programme’(which is covered by the Odysseia action),the ‘Island of Phaeakes’ Programme hassought to provide 14 pilot public-sectorschools with computerised laboratories whichare linked to the Internet and incorporate neweducational software. Together with the infor-mation society programme (see above), thisprogramme has been extended to include theestablishment of a database to meet theneeds of teachers and trainee teachers. Theaims of training are threefold: providetrainees with basic computer skills, incorpo-rate the use of computer science in the edu-cational process and increase familiarity witheducational software and the way it isassessed. A special effort has also beenmade to equip primary schools with hard-ware. The (quantitative and qualitative) aimsare to make one computer available for every12 pupils by 2006, to incorporate ICT intothe educational process and to lead pupils toacquire basic skills in the use of ICT.Partners: the CTI, and the departments forthe training of primary school teachers at theUniversities of Athens, Thessaly and Cretehave assumed responsibility for the entireprogramme (the supply of hardware, teacher
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training and the production and evaluation ofeducational software). Target groups: teachers and other staff in pri-mary educationPeriod: 1998 until the end of the 2000/2001school year.
b) Secondary education: modernisation ofthe infrastructure and services of thenational education network
Under the 1996-2000 Odysseia action, theDirectorate of Studies for SecondaryEducation of the Ministry, the PI and the CTIhave equipped 400 high schools with com-puter laboratories since 1997. New educa-tional software for the teaching of all subjectsin junior high school has also been producedand the CTI has localized international edu-cational software.Aims: launched in April 1999, this initiativeseeks to ensure that all schools will be able toaccess the network by the end of 2001, andto link them up by means of an Intranet by2006. The project will be complete when all51 prefectures in the country are connected,along with 1 800 schools and 117 adminis-trative units. Partners: the Ministry of Education, the PI,the CTI and private partners.Target groups: teachers and administrativestaff in secondary education.Period: 2000-2006.Progress to date: at the end of 2000, the net-work already included 29 prefectures, 1 229schools, 30 secondary education depart-ments and 37 administrative units.Measures for promotion and implementation:three major activities underpin this initiative:• Development or supply of educational soft-
ware: the Ministry of Education is startingto produce educational software in part-nership with similar projects in Greek, orforeign languages translated into Greek. At
the same time, this measure is supportingthe work of the Certification Office of the PIwhich authorises the educational software.
• Training teachers in ICT: the Ministry ofEducation is seeking to establish a flexibletraining system involving training centres,computer laboratories and the award ofcertificates on completion of training. Theaim is to familiarise teachers (who are intraining centres or classes, or involved indistance or independent learning) with theuse of ICT in education. For this purpose,regional educational support centres(Mokese) will be set up, while financial sup-port will be awarded to each teacheractively involved in the programme and theEduNet (4) network will secure access to thedatabase.
• Strengthening of distance education: theMinistry of Education will encourage thedevelopment of new educational softwareand establish a mechanism for teachertraining and the coordination of trainingactivity.
c) Tertiary education
The major objective of making a high-capac-ity network available to students and teach-ing staff in universities – which has involved,in particular, the constant updating of theinternal network, the provision of services tohigher training institutes and the implementa-tion of GU-Net (5) – has been achieved.Meanwhile, the Greek research and techno-logical network (GrNET) set up in 1998 takespart in the ICT pilot programmes of the EU,
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(4) This is a Panhellenic educational network launched inMay 1999 by the Ministry of Education and co-financed by the European Commission. Its main aimis to link up educational and administrative units.
(5) Greek Universities Network.
namely Tftant (6) and Sequin (7), and theUnited States (Internet 2). Since 1999, 5 dis-tance learning rooms have been set up, with12 planned by the year 2006.
The open and distance university whichoffered just two pilot projects in 1998, nowhas 5 000 students aged over 23 who canaccess around 20 courses organised to meettheir requirements. They are supervised bytutoring advisers, use materials speciallydevised to encourage involvement and inter-action on their part, and receive support fromcounselling centres located in six differentcities. In 2001, 10 000 students areexpected.
d) Special education
Two types of initiative (at a total cost of EUR 2.5 million, half of which is for incorpo-rating ICT) should be mentioned:• there are plans to extend an already exist-
ing database primarily concerned withspecial education (for example, to centresfor disabled children);
• provision of computer laboratories inschools for special education and theestablishment of ten pilot pre-vocationallaboratories (an initiative which will beextended).
It should be noted that a new law on specialeducation adopted in March 2000 reiteratesthe aims of the foregoing initiatives, and alsoincludes an announcement about a pro-gramme and school libraries to be adaptedto ICT.
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(6) A subsidiary programme in the Academic andResearch Network Programme.
(7) An acronym for the quality service of independentnetworks. This project involves eight partners in sevencountries and is cofinanced by the EuropeanCommission under the Information SocietyTechnologies Programme. Sequin began for a 15-month period on 1 November 2000.
NB: As a result of the process of decentralisa-tion, all 17 Autonomous Communities haveexercised powers in education since 1 January2000. Moreover, the 1983 law on universityreform represented a considerable step for-ward in extending the autonomy of universities.As the now highly autonomous universitieshave developed their own policies for ICT, theinformation given below is solely concernedwith pre-primary, primary, secondary andnon-university tertiary levels of education.
Aims and strategies
General aimGet citizens (in particular, teachers, pupilsand their parents) to become involved in theInformation and Communication Society,through a set of general and specific pro-grammes.
More specific aimIncrease general familiarity with ICT in edu-cation (both as a helpful teaching resource,but also as an essential practical means to thesuccessful implementation of education poli-cies, for example through providing schoolswith access to educational resources andmaking it easier for them to communicatewith the public authorities, etc.).
Main strategiesThe main strategies for achieving these aimsare as follows:• providing all schools with the equipment
and facilities for accessing ICT;• developing Internet courses and training;
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Spain• using the Internet to develop a vast range
of educational and cultural services;• developing the production of educational
and cultural content on line;• developing interactive educational televi-
sion in increasingly close association withthe Internet;
• setting up an observatory and laboratoryconcerned with the educational applica-tions of ICT, thereby supporting innovationand development in such applications;
• developing cooperation between LatinAmerica and Europe in the area of ICT ineducation.
Sharing of responsibilities
The Autonomous Communities are responsi-ble for supplying hardware and software toschools and the maintenance of their facili-ties, for training centres and the training ofteachers in ICT and for the production of edu-cational multimedia materials.
The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sportis responsible for the smooth developmentand uniform distribution of ICT in all theAutonomous Communities. Given that theynow exercise powers in education, theMinistry and nine Communities have signeda cooperation agreement for the continueddevelopment of all ongoing projects and forstimulating new projects under Info XXI (seep. 58). The Autonomous Communities areresponsible for expenditure, while theMinistry is in charge of implementing pro-grammes via the Centro Nacional deInformación y Comunicación educativa(CNICE) (1). This approach makes it possible
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(1) For further details, see below.
(2) Company specialising in the mobile phone sector. Seethe paragraph below headed ‘development of infra-structure in rural areas: a private initiative similar toAldea Digital’.
to achieve economies of scale and to improvecooperation between the AutonomousCommunities.
Public/private partnerships
The Ministry of Science and Technology offerssubsidies (under the Programme to PromoteTechnical Research) for the production ofeducational software and the development oftelematics in education. This assistance goesto companies, public bodies and non-profit-making associations.
The Retornos sociales: the central govern-ment awards new patents to telecommunica-tions operators subject to them financing ICTfor educational purposes. An example isAmena (2) which will invest EUR 62.5 millionup to 2004 in the above-mentioned pro-gramme.
Major initiatives implemented
Given the recent extension of powers exer-cised by the Autonomous Communities, mostof the projects they administer represent thecontinuation (though to a varying extent) ofthose formerly initiated by the Ministry ofEducation.
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3
The following three main kinds of initiativemay be identified:
a) The Iniciativa Estratégica del Gobiernopara el desarrollo de la Sociedad de laInformación INFO XXI (Strategic Initiativeof the Government for the Development ofthe Information Society)
Aims: the Info XXI project, which is an inte-gral part of this initiative, was established inDecember 1999 by the Prime Minister. Theproject, which comprises a variety of pro-grammes, aims to promote the incorporationof each administrative level and economicsector in the Information Society.Partners: all ministries are represented in theComisión Interministerial de la Sociedad dela Información coordinated by the Ministry ofScience and Technology. Info XXI educationalprogrammes are to be developed jointly withthe Autonomous Communities (certain sub-sidiary programmes will however be imple-mented by the Ministry of Education, Cultureand Sport).Target groups: most economic sectors.Period: 2000-2003 corresponding to abudget of EUR 2.5 billion, of which EUR 0.14billion will be for three educational pro-grammes (see below).Progress to date: the Ministry of Education,Culture and Sport is responsible for coordi-nating the activities of the 17 AutonomousCommunities (with nine of which it hasalready signed cooperation agreements). Asurvey on the impact of ICT in the educationsystem has begun and its findings will beavailable in mid-2001.Measures for promotion and implementation:Info XXI is structured around seven mainareas of activity. The first is concerned witheducation and training and includes threeprogrammes:
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• Las autopistas de la educación aims todevelop applications of computer sciencein education, as well as telematics infra-structures.
• El conocimiento en el siglo XXI seeks toproduce and supply educational material(multimedia tools and interactive Internetwebsites) to support the first programme.
• Los modernos ciudadanos will develop on-line subsidiary training programmes, aswell as educational and cultural services onthe Internet. In its contribution to a broaderapproach (involving educational support tofamilies, assistance with training, and theintegration of immigrants, etc.), the empha-sis will be on priority subjects of an educa-tional nature (including civics, drug pre-vention, AIDS, etc.).
b) Initiatives concerned with the applicationof ICT in education, which have beenimplemented by the Ministry ofEducation, Culture and Sport under thePrograma de Nuevas Tecnologías de laInformación (PNTIC, or programme forthe new information technologies), andare now being administered by theCNICE
In June 2000, the Minister of Education,Culture and Sport set up the CNICE for thepurpose of fully incorporating the Spanisheducation system within the InformationSociety. Since 1986, major projects con-cerned with ICT in the education system havebeen developed by the PNTIC, which is nowpart of the CNICE. The most concrete CNICEinitiatives correspond to the three Info XXIeducational programmes referred to above.However, the Centre is also responsible for avariety of initiatives concerned with ICT andwith education. These may be illustrated bythe following 8 actions which were initiated
in 1996 by the PNTIC, and are by far themost significant of the group:
b1) The Aldea Digital programmeAims: introducing new technologies into ruralschools situated in sparsely populated areas.This programme involves supplementary ini-tiatives, ranging from the provision of com-puter equipment and Internet access to thespecial training of teachers and assistanceand maintenance services. Since December2000, similar initiatives have been developedby each autonomous authority for educationin areas in which Aldea Digital has not beenimplemented.Target groups: schools with one to threeclasses containing 5-15 pupils of differentages. Progress to date: since January 2000, theprogramme has been developed in morethan 2 500 rural schools. Over 7 000 teach-ers and 70 000 pupils have been involved.
b2) The Redes ProgrammeAims: equip schools with intranets in order todevelop a technological culture of self-suffi-ciency within them. The programme alsoinvolves the implementation of supplementaryinitiatives similar to those of the Aldea Digitalprogramme (teacher training, provision offacilities, etc.).Target groups: members of the educationalcommunity (parents, pupils and teachers).Measures for promotion and implementation:since 1996, the Redes programme has pro-vided technological infrastructure at a cost ofEUR 47.5 million.
b3) Production of education materials andequipment
Aims: make multimedia materials and equip-ment widely available (for teaching or self-teaching courses in different subjects).
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Target groups: schools via the Internet gate-way to education.Measures for promotion and implementation:the PNTIC annually issues a EUR 186 000call for tender (the biggest for multimediatools in Spanish) for the provision of educa-tional multimedia materials.
b4) The Formación de Profesores a travésde Internet Programme (Teacher train-ing over the Internet)
Aims: train teachers in the educational use ofICT, in eight basic learning packages (cover-ing methodology on the use of the Internet,learning HTML, ICT, special training forteachers of mathematics and languages,etc.).Target groups: primary and lower and uppersecondary schoolteachers.Progress to date: from 1996 to December2000, the Ministry trained over 30 000teachers in the use of ICT in schools.
b5) Construction of an Internet gateway toeducation and culture
Aims: inform anyone about the formal andinformal educational content of the Internet,with a view to boosting independent learning. Target groups: everyone.
b6) Access to Internet and electronic mailfor teachers and schools
Aims: extension of free Internet access to allschools (in a follow-up to the PNTIC/CNICEproject seeking to provide access to all inter-ested teachers). The objective is to connect allschools in the short term. Target groups: primary and secondaryschools.Progress to date: precise results are hard toprovide given the considerable independenceof the Autonomous Communities in this kindof project.
b7) The Aulas Hospitalarias ProgrammeAims: enable children in hospital to benefitfrom a suitable educational environment andprevent them from feeling isolated.Target groups: children who have been inhospital for a long time.Progress to date: 29 big paediatric hospitalsare taking part in this programme.Classrooms with computers, Internet access,video-conferencing facilities, suitable periph-erals and special educational software havebeen provided. Specially trained teachershave devised their own educational softwareand form a virtual community on the CNICEInternet website.
b8) The Aulas Mentor ProgrammeAims: promote independent learning viainformal training on the Internet (40 sessions,23 of them concerned with ICT) for the pur-pose of helping adults to develop socially andprofessionally. Sessions are supervised byteachers who reply to questions from studentsby e-mail. Target groups: adults.Progress to date: this programme which hasa network of 140 classrooms linked to theInternet and over 300 on-line teacherstrained more than 27 000 adults between1996 and December 2000.
c) Development of infrastructure in ruralareas: a private initiative similar toAldea Digital
Aims: a private initiative on the part of theAmena company, which is similar to theAldea Digital programme.Partners: Amena and the Ministry ofEducation, Sport and Culture working jointlywith the Autonomous Communities.Target groups: schools in rural areas.Period: 2000-2004.
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Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: EUR 62.5 million will be invested inequipping Spanish schools in rural areas.
Besides this specific initiative, a host of pri-vate initiatives (involving companies, school,parent and pupil associations and NGOs)are being implemented in Spain in the areaof ICT for educational purposes; over 100
Internet websites have been established sofar.
Generally speaking, all the foregoing pro-grammes and initiatives comply with theguidelines for eLearning and eEurope, aswell as those of the EU Feira SummitDeclaration.
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Aims and strategies
A twofold general aim• Train all pupils to use computer tools in a
critical frame of mind so that they becomefully active citizens who are aware of thesocial and cultural implications of the boomin the new technologies.
• Ensure that the development of ICT in edu-cation contributes to modernisation of thelatter.
To achieve these aims, a three-yearGovernment Action Programme to bringFrance into the Information Society (PAGSI)was adopted in 1998 and has been supple-mented by further priorities for the period 2000-2001 (1). The initiative concerns all teachers atall levels and embraces teacher training, theprovision of schools with equipment and facili-ties and the creation of school networks, and theproduction and provision of appropriate con-tent. Since the spring of 1998, tertiary educa-tion institutions have also received special assis-tance for the purpose of offering all studentsaccess to tools and information networks.
PAGSI has three specific aims:a) Encourage a comprehensive educational
approach which means:• teaching with ICT;• developing activity among pupils and stu-
dents which involves use of multimedia;• encouraging exchanges of information
among teachers via the information network;
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France• giving priority to information and training
for teachers and managers.b) Develop a decentralised network: the
establishment of Educnet which means:• equipping and linking up all schools;• achieving balanced well coordinated
development;• developing an active partnership with
local authorities and industry.c) Encourage the production and provision
of educational and academic content forteaching purposes which means:
• supporting the educational multimediaindustry;
• encouraging individual production;• stimulating the distribution of resources.
Sharing of responsibilities
Three levels of decision-making may be dis-tinguished:
National level: the technological directorate ofthe Ministry of Research draws up policy fortechnological development and innovation andsupervises its implementation. One of its mainresponsibilities is to develop the use of ICT in theeducation system (including schools and tertiaryinstitutions). The sub-directorate of educationaltechnology and information and communicationtechnology of the Ministry of Education is thefocal point for the coordination of plans fordeveloping educational technology.
The level of the académie: the académie (2) isthe level primarily concerned with providingimpetus and coordination for the developmentof ICT in education. This means coordinationbetween the various levels of education andpartnership with local and regional authori-
2
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(1) Although the PAGSI is officially coming to an end in2001, its action is being extended through the priori-ties of the inter-ministerial committee for the informa-tion society (CISI) which were outlined by PrimeMinister Lionel Jospin on 10 July 2000.
(2) An académie is an administrative constituency peculiarto the Ministry of Education, which is organised into geo-graphically decentralised departments, each run by arecteur. France is divided into 28 académies which, withfew exceptions, correspond to its regional subdivisions.
(4) A consumer cooperative, and the third-rankingFrench mail order firm.
ties, firms, and other administrative authoritiesand associations. The essential mechanism forproviding this impetus is the three-yearacadémie plan. Advisors on ICT for educationmonitor implementation of this plan.
The local authorities: partnership with thelocal authorities is not simply a matter offinancing the necessary facilities. They arevery closely involved in school activitiesthrough their representation on school govern-ing bodies. In tertiary education, they con-tribute to the development of its institutionsunder the central government/regional plans.The national plan includes arrangements tofacilitate financing by local authorities ofschemes for providing schools with equipmentand facilities. Furthermore, there have beenmany calls for proposals (such as one recentlyfor the development of ICT in primary schools,which is contributing to the funding of multi-media educational projects in almost 5 000schools).
Public/private partnerships
Achieving the aims of PAGSI has called for part-nerships between the Ministry of Education andthe private sector. Many framework agreementshave been signed in the last three years:• Association Francophone des Utilisateurs
de Linux et des Logiciels Libres (AFUL) forthe use of free software and the creation ofschool networks.
• Société Alcatel (3) for the experimentalimplementation of pilot projects that makeuse of ‘high capacity’ networks.
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• Société Apple Computer France for height-ening awareness of Internet and intranettechnologies among teachers.
• Groupe Bull, in particular for the establish-ment of working environments geared tothe development of applications in schoolssituated in ZEPs (zones d’éducation priori-taires, or priority education areas), and fordevising, with the Ministry of Education,training products for teacher training cen-tres.
• Camif (4) for research into the most suitablefacilities and equipment for educationalprojects, support for the implementation ofresource centres and the provision of quan-titative and qualitative data on purchases.
• Société Compaq France for assistance inproviding schools with equipment andfacilities.
• Société Digital for assistance with trainingthose who provide training on tools forcommunication and transmission on theInternet.
• Société Hewlett-Packard France for theprovision of distance education and train-ing programmes.
• Société IBM which, in particular, is devel-oping projects with the Orléans-Toursacadémie.
• Société Lotus Development France for itssupport in the development of projectsinvolving joint work on the Internet/Intranet.
• Société Lyonnaise Communications fordeveloping ways to access the Internetusing cable for educational purposes.
• Société Microsoft France for its support inthe development of projects relying onInternet and Intranet technologies.
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(3) The Alcatel group is a world leader in the telecommu-nications market and the Internet. Alcatel Franceemploys over 36 000 staff in the fields of telecommu-nications, cables and components.
• La Poste for its support in the developmentof projects relying on Internet and Intranettechnologies, (such as the allocation of freee-mail addresses to all teachers).
• France Télécom (5).• Cegetel (6).• Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux.
Major initiatives implemented
Attention should be drawn to four kinds ofinitiative which have been implementedunder the three-year académie plans (corre-sponding to the académie contribution to theeducational component of PAGSI):
a) The provision of computers and Internetconnections
Since 1998, national measures have encour-aged increased provision of computers forschools. As a result, the average number ofpupils per microcomputer in collèges fell from17.5 in December 1998 to 14.6 in March2000 and, in lycées, from 7.3 to 6 pupils ingeneral lycées, and from 5.1 to 4.8 pupils invocational lycées.
In primary education, provision increasedfrom one microcomputer per school in 1998to around one for every 30 pupils in 2000.
Internet access which was available to only5% of all schools in 1998 rose to 35% ofschools in March 2000. In its priorities for2000/2001, the CISI is planning for the
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schools to be provided with Internet facilitiesand connections by the end of the2000/2001 school year. The government isallocating EUR 9.91 million (FRF 65 million)for this purpose.
b) Educational applications of ICT
The general application of ICT for teachingpurposes and the emergence of newapproaches involving electronic networkingare central to the concerns of PAGSI.
The main thrust of this Programme is the prin-ciple of electronic networking, the advan-tage of which is to contribute to the poolingof resources (by linking up the resources ofdocumentary information centres throughoutthe world), the dismantling of geographicaland cultural enclaves (e-mail and teleconfer-encing are used to break down the isolationof rural communities, or enable pupils withinthem to benefit from the same options asthose who attend urban collèges) and the sat-isfaction of particular local needs as appro-priate (enabling pupils who are exceptionallygood at sport or in hospital or handicappedto maintain contact with the school environ-ment). Three initiatives among the prioritiesfor 2000/2001 reflect such concerns (thoughto a varying extent):
b1) ICT and reform of the lycéeAims: this initiative which has paralleled thereform of the lycée (which came into effect atthe start of the 2000 school year) focuses ontwo main objectives:• As a supplement to the new curricula for
pupils in the first year of the lycée, teachershave been provided with ICT documents forall relevant subject areas on the Educnetserver. In the case of artistic subjects, a spe-cial gateway has been established onEducnet.
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(5) A French telecommunications operator (telephoneequipment and facilities, networks, mobile phones,radiopaging, Internet, Minitel and teleconferencing).
(6) The leading private telecommunications operator inFrance.
• The emphasis has been on the need forpupils in their first year at lycée to haveaccess to similar computer facilities andacquire the same level of proficiency inworking with them through the introduction(from 2000/2001 onwards) of travauxpersonnels encadrés (TPE, or supervisedindividual activity) directed to this end.
Target groups: pupils and teachers in uppersecondary schools.Measures for promotion and implementation:it is planned that the above-mentioned spe-cial ICT documents supplementing the newcurricula should be made available duringthe 2000/2001 school year, so as to encour-age experimentation followed by their gen-eral introduction from the 2001/2002 and2002/2003 school years onwards.For the TPE, EUR 18.2 million (FRF 120 mil-lion) have been earmarked for standardisingcomputer facilities in documentary informa-tion centres.
b2) The computer science and Internet cer-tificate
Aims: this certificate is intended to provideformal recognition of the extent to whichpupils can use multimedia tools effectively.Target groups: in the first instance, pupils inlower secondary education and then allpupils from primary to upper secondary edu-cation.Measures for promotion and implementation:from 2000/2001, the computer science andInternet certificate is being introduced in allcollèges, while its introduction in primaryschools will be optional. In 2002/2003, itwill be mandatorily extended to all schools.
b3) Measures for the schooling of handi-capped pupils
Aims: improve the education and integrationof handicapped children by means of specialmultimedia tools.
Target groups: handicapped pupils (irrespec-tive of the particular handicap concerned).
Period: 2001-2003 (plan for enabling handi-capped people to take part in normal life).
Measures for promotion and implementation:EUR 25.92 million (FRF 170 million) havebeen made available for the Ministry ofEducation to acquire teaching equipment andmaterials and specially adapted technicalforms of support.
c) Availability of multimedia resources
With due regard for the need to encouragethe production of teaching resources and theidentification of high quality educationalproducts, four initiatives have been launched(though the list is not exhaustive):
c1) Educnet, the website concerned withICT in education
Aims: open since August 1998, this websiteoffers a comprehensive service for teachers(covering current events, general policy,teaching practice and methods, discussiongroups, etc.).
Target groups: teaching staff.
Progress to date: the website has attractedan increasing number of visitors (rising by20% a month on average) since the start ofthe 1999/2000 school year.
Measures for promotion and implementation:during 2000/2001, Educnet is planning tomake areas available for communication andthe exchange of information, establish adatabase for serious research, strengthenexchanges with networks of académies,develop an interactive channel known asCanal Educnet and ensure that the websiteconforms to requirements for those whoseeyesight is poor, etc.
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c2) The Educasource websiteAims: offer teachers and trainers a platformfor guidance by means of which they canidentify basic on-line and off-line resources ofeducational and training interest, and themeans to discuss them among themselves.Target groups: teaching staff.
c3) A special label for products of recog-nised educational interest (introducedin June 1999)
In January 2001, over 340 programmesclassified by subject area or field (such asplastic arts, biotechnology, library informa-tion resources, history/geography, lan-guages, mathematics, etc.) had beenawarded this label of recognition.
c4) The Programme for Digitisation ofTeaching and Research (PNER)
Aims: in line with Ministry of Educationincentives to digitise documents helpful forteaching purposes, this programme is tend-ing to become a platform for developing andadapting software or multimedia services.Target groups: teaching and research staff.
d) Teacher training
d1) National initiativesFirst, a two-year emergency plan waslaunched from the start of the 1998/99school year in order to concentrate part ofinitial teacher training in InstitutsUniversitaires de Formation des Maîtres(IUFM, or university institutes for teachertraining) on ICT. In 2001, the Ministry ofEducation is renewing the plan for a furtherperiod through fresh four-year contracts withthe 29 IUFM (7), at the same time calling for
a shift in emphasis from training teachers inICT (8) to training them in its educationalapplications (9). Secondly, priority has beenattached to the need to develop in-serviceteacher training in ICT (10). It should also benoted that, besides training, reliance on‘resource persons’ is becoming graduallymore widespread. In each school, staff in thiscategory have received more in-depth train-ing and are thus able to assist their col-leagues in their use of ICT in teaching.
d2) Académie initiativesAt académie level, teachers have been pro-vided with self-training resources and facili-ties for on-line assistance, as they appear tobe steadily assuming a new role involvingthem in the development of teachingresources and participation in local,académie or international exchangeschemes.
e) Fresh initiatives in the priorities for2000-2001
e1) Increasing the number of specialisedbranches for the training of ICT profes-sionals
An Internet école supérieure (‘school’ forhigher education) has been set up nearMarseille and, since September 2000, hasbeen offering 45 different kinds of licence
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(8) This means training in which future teachers acquireknowledge and skills in the field of computer and mul-timedia techniques.
(9) In this case, the aim is to stimulate thought and dis-cussion on ICT teaching applications among futureteachers and trainers specialised in ICT.
(10) This is organised mainly by the académies. Training inICT accounts for around one-third of all in-serviceteacher training resources.
(7) As each IUFM has its own four-year contract with theMinistry, the precise contractual terms and obligationsmay vary from one IUFM to the next.
professionnelle (vocational degree) (11) incomputer science and multimedia.Meanwhile, it is expected that the number ofgraduates from institutions specifically fortraining in telecommunications will increaseby 50% in five years.
e2) Establishment of a high capacityInternet network for research and edu-cation, known as Renater 3
This network will be operational in 2002 andhave a capacity 16 times greater than that ofits predecessor, Renater 2.
e3) Facilities and connections for universityhalls of residence
From the 2000/2001 school year, a schemefor connecting 150 000 student rooms inhalls of residence to the Internet will beundertaken as part of the renovation of prem-ises under the ‘Universities of the ThirdMillennium’ programme.
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(11) The licence professionnelle was introduced from thestart of the 2000/2001 academic year (when 195possible areas of specialisation for this new qualifica-tion were established). Its courses last for a year (sub-ject to any special educational provisions) and com-bine theoretical and final-stage practical componentswith learning about methods and tools, and trainingplacements in firms or other occupational environ-ments. Courses are offered as initial or in-servicetraining, and based on an integrated approachinvolving both training institutions and the profes-sional sectors concerned. A variety of training path-ways have been devised to take account of the par-ticular qualifications, experience and needs of stu-dents from different backgrounds. The licence profes-sionnelle is awarded by universities, independently orin conjunction with other public bodies for higher edu-cation which have been formally recognised for thispurpose by the Minister of Higher Education.
Aims and strategies
1.1. Primary and secondary level
General aimsEstablishment of an infrastructure enabling:• all primary and secondary school pupils to
achieve computer literacy and equip them-selves for involvement in the informationsociety;
• all primary and secondary schoolteachersto develop and upgrade their skills and useICT as a resource for teaching and learning.
(Source: Schools IT 2000 – A policy Framework for theNew Millennium, covering the period 1998-2000).
Specific aims• Enable primary and secondary schools to
secure access to ICT training, curricularmaterials, advice and support, to provide allschools with multimedia computers con-nected to the Internet before 2000 (the targetis 60 000 computers, or one per class), andto encourage them to develop technologyplans consistent with school requirements;
• enable disadvantaged schools to securerapid access to ICT resources;
• develop, promote and apply models tosupport the provision of lifelong learning inschools, in cooperation with libraries andother bodies and organisations.
Strategiesa) Establishment of partnerships:• encourage schools to obtain computer and
training equipment and materials over andabove what is provided by the government;
• establishment of a Policy Advisory andDevelopment Committee including partnersfrom the field of education and social partners;
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Ireland• ensure the availability of preferential terms
for school access to the Internet and tele-com providers.
b) Development of the professional skills ofteachers through:
• analysis of training needs in ICT;• organisation of an extensive forum to
analyse initial and in-service training needs; • support for the inclusion of ICT in teacher
training in the colleges and schools of edu-cation;
• development of a comprehensive in-careerICT training programme;
• provision of opportunities for all teachers todevelop such skills;
• provision of training and materials todepartments of the inspectorate in order todevelop its responsibility for counsellingteachers about ICT, and assist with evaluat-ing progress achieved during the Schools IT2000 project;
• facilitating the accreditation of trainingwith professional bodies associated withICT, the national authorities responsible forcertification (Teastas, NCVA) and/or thirdlevel institutions;
• development of programmes concerned withthe educational use of ICT at postgraduatelevel and inclusion of a module in all post-graduate teacher education programmes.
c) School level:• provide advice and support directly to schools
and facilitate curricular integration of ICT;• establish an Internet-based information, sup-
port and dissemination facility, Scoilnet (1);• update models of best practice in the use of
ICT, in association with groups of pilot schools;
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(1) Scoilnet is the Irish Education website and the Irishpartner of the European network called the EuropeanSchoolnet. The Scoilnet site (http://www.scoilnet.ie/)offers educational services and materials for a varietyof groups, including pupils, parents and teachers, andputs them in contact with each other.
• disseminate such models of good practiceto all schools.
1.2. Technological sector: aims and strate-gies
• Modernise the third level technologicaleducation system
• Provide training and support for technolog-ical staff. Plans for National Student e-mailfor life are at a pilot stage. Most Institutesof Technology have a policy of bringingtheir students to European ComputerDriving Licence (ECDL) level by the end ofyear one of their studies. A number oftraining courses are also available toteaching staff in various areas of ICTusage. Examples of these courses include aDublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Mastersprogramme for academic staff entitledThird Level Learning and Teaching with,among other things, a certificate levelcourse and on-line diploma modules. Thecertificate and diploma courses provide afoundation for Masters level research proj-ects relating to ICT usage. These coursesare also open to staff outside the DIT.The Cork Institute of Technology also con-ducts a Graduate Diploma and M.Sc. inComputing in Education for mainly second-level teachers. These courses have alsobeen extended to run in the Institute ofTechnology, Tralee and the Limerick Instituteof Technology, with some 60 graduatesexpected to qualify in 2001.
• Promote the collaboration and sharing ofbest practice in relation to ICT usage in thetechnological sector. This sector has estab-lished two special interest groups in rela-tion to the enhancement of ICT usage in thesector. ITnet oversees ICT activities for the13 Institutes of Technology. The DIT has alsoestablished a special interest group in on-line and flexible learning. This group is
involved in case study presentations, guestspeaker seminars and local website activi-ties.
• Encourage and support cross-faculty andcross-institutional research projects. Theseprojects encourage and support the use ofICT in teaching and learning, by workingwith staff encouraging them to developproject proposals and to obtain externalfunding for projects from sources such asthe Socrates (Minerva) and Leonardo daVinci EU programmes.
• Provide financial support to the technologi-cal sector for pilot projects in the ICT area.Funding for these activities comes from theInstitutes’ annual budgets. In addition, theDepartment of Education and Science hassanctioned in principle a pilot open anddistance learning project. It is expected thatthis project will commence in 2001.
• Promote awareness of ICT usage in thetechnological sector through the provisionof e-mail facilities to students, Internetaccess, computer facilities/workshops andpilot open and distance learning modules.Students in the technological sector haveaccess to e-mail, internet access and com-puter facilities. A number of colleges suchas the DIT also organise events like theShowcase in Teaching and LearningInnovations. Central Event Sessions arealso organised in the DIT. These events aretargeted towards specific technologicalneeds as outlined in the Computer AssistedAssessment Day.
1.3. Higher education level: aims andstrategies
• Modernise the third level university educa-tion system;
• provide training and support for universitystaff;
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• promote the collaboration and sharing ofbest practice in relation to ICT usage in thesector;
• encourage and support cross-institutionalresearch projects;
• provide financial support to the universitysector for pilot projects in the ICT area;
• promote awareness of ICT usage in the uni-versity sector through the provision of e-mail facilities to students, internet access,computer facilities/workshops and pilotopen and distance learning modules.
Sharing of responsibilities
The Department of Education and Science(DES) is responsible for educational policy asregards both curricula and integrating ICTinto the education system.
As far as the implementation of decisions isconcerned, the National Council forCurriculum and Assessment (NCCA) isresponsible for the implementation of curric-ula and provides guidance on how ICTshould be included in them. It also advises theDES in this particular area.
The National Centre for Technology inEducation (NCTE) provides advice and guid-ance to schools about the infrastructurerequired to implement the Schools IT 2000project. It too advises the DES in this area.
In the technological sector, the purchase ofhardware, software etc. is generally theresponsibility of the Computer ServicesManager (CSM) in each Institute, in order toensure that the purchasing policy and devel-opment plan of each are consistent.
For teaching courses, course content andteaching methodology proposed by a
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Department/School in a particular Instituteare approved internally by the AcademicCouncil of the Institute and externally by theNational Council of Education Awards(NCEA).
At higher education level, the HigherEducation Authority (HEA) was given itsstatutory powers by the Higher EducationAuthority Act, 1971. It is a corporate bodycomprising a chairman and not more than18 ordinary members, all of whom areappointed by the government on the recom-mendation of the Minister for Education andScience.
The functions of the HEA are to:• further the development of higher educa-
tion;• assist in the co-ordination of state invest-
ment in higher education and preparingproposals for such investment;
• promote an appreciation of the value ofhigher education and research;
• promote the attainment of equality ofopportunity in higher education;
• promote the democratisation of the struc-ture of higher education.
Within its specific functions, the Authorityadvises the Minister on:• the demand and need for higher educa-
tion;• legislative matters pertaining to institutions
of higher education;• the establishment of new institutions of
higher education;• the amounts of state financial provision,
both current and capital which it recom-mends for higher education.
The Universities Act 1997 assigned specificfunctions to the Authority in relation to theuniversities’ pursuit of the objectives set out
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in the Act as regards strategic developmentplans, quality assurance procedures, equal-ity policy and financial/personnel manage-ment.
The HEA also manages and coordinates theProgramme for Research in Third LevelInstitutions – a EUR 634.87 million pro-gramme (IEP 500 million) to research capac-ity development in all higher education insti-tutions.
Public/private partnerships
As part of the Schools IT 2000 project, theIrish telecommunications company Eircom, inpartnership with the DES, has supplied eachprimary and secondary school with the fol-lowing: a telephone line providing Internetaccess; an Internet service; a ready-to-usemultimedia computer connected to theInternet; and free internet dial-up access forfive hours a week. It has also supplied 30education centres with an ISDN connectionand a network of 10 multimedia computerstaking in the network for teacher training.
The Intel company, which signed an agree-ment with the DES in September 1999, hasassumed responsibility, for at least threeyears, for the development, maintenance andoperation of the Scoilnet network, the IrishEducation website.
Many partnerships between the private andpublic sector have been formed under theSchool Integration Project (SIP) (2) to developschemes for the use of ICT in teaching andlearning.
In the technological sector, one of the signifi-cant large-scale public/private partnershipsis the CISCO Network Academy. The Cork
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Institute of Technology is one of the regionalacademies and most of the other Institutes ofTechnology have local academies.
Major initiatives implemented
a) Development of technological infrastruc-ture
Aims: increase the number of multimediacomputers in schools.Target groups: primary and secondaryschools.Period: 1998-2003.Progress to date: the number of computers isnow 31 000, corresponding to an increase of65% since 1998, and all schools have beenconnected to the Internet.Measures for promotion and implementation:financing the establishment of class computernetworks, examining the national infrastruc-ture for extending Internet access, andexpanding facilities.
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(2) The Schools Integration Project (SIP) is one of themajor initiatives of the Schools IT 2000 project. Itsintention is to develop models of best practice. Pilotprojects have been established in some 400 primaryand secondary schools covering 80 district ICT proj-ects testing out or developing ICT applications, peda-gogies and resources. Schools work in partnershipwith the education centres, the community, industry,businesses and appropriate third level institutions todetermine models of good practice for the use of ICT.Schools taking part in SIP were being selected by theNCTE and received resources to help them realisetheir project goals, including grant aid for hardwareand software, release time for teachers and assistancewith ICT from regional advisors and the NCTENational Coordinator. The project is currently in itsevaluation phase prior to dissemination of data to thebroader schools network. The SIP website ishttp://www.ncte.ie/sip.htm.
b) Development of the professional skills ofteachers
Aims: develop the knowledge and skills ofprimary and secondary schoolteachers.Target groups: primary and secondaryschoolteachers.Period: 1998-2003.Progress to date: since 1998, 36 000 teach-ers (corresponding to 75%) have receivedbasic training in ICT.Measures for promotion and implementation:introduction of programmes; analysis oftraining needs for the introduction of ICT intoteaching and learning; and the progressiveincorporation of ICT training into initialteacher training.
c) Development of an infrastructure forguidance and support
Aims: develop an infrastructure for guidanceand support.Measures for promotion and implementation:the development of curricular innovations toenhance the use of ICT in the classroom; set-ting up a national network to advise and sup-port schools with their plans for ICT and theuse they make of it; establishment of anational framework to support the develop-ment of multimedia products and tools tail-ored to the Irish curriculum; and the dissemi-nation of appropriate curricular resources inschools, including multimedia products andtools.
d) Initiatives in the technological sector
All the Institutes of Technology are linkedthrough a Wide Area ATM Network (ITnetestablished in 1993) with access speedsvarying from 4-10 MB/s depending on theirsize. The technological sector and the univer-
sities jointly access the Internet throughHEAnet Network Operating Centre.
All full-time staff and students in the techno-logical sector have Internet access. In2000/2001, the Institutes of Technology aretrialing the use of IP-TV and IP-VC (video con-ferencing) in open and distance learning.This provision of content and advanced serv-ices to the Institutes of Technology is a corepolicy of ITnet. ITnet is fully funded by theDepartment of Education and Sciencethrough the Cork Institute of Technology onbehalf of all the Institutes.
e) Initiatives at higher education level
e1) Advanced Academic TelecommunicationsThe State is involved in supporting two sepa-rate projects in the area of advanced aca-demic telecommunications. Both projects aremanaged for the State by HEAnet Ltd., estab-lished in 1983 as a collaborative endeavourbetween its member institutions and incorpo-rated as a limited company in 1997. HEAnetdelivers Internet connectivity and relatedservices to third level institutions, including allthe universities and Institutes of Technologyand various other organisations includingCMOD, Enterprise Ireland, the NationalLibrary and Teagasc.
• National Backbone ProjectRapidly increasing demand for networkaccess in third level institutions in recentyears and the high costs of additionalbandwith has led to rationing by someinstitutions of access to students. TheNational Backbone Project aims to improvethe infrastructure available to HEAnet’smember institutions, including access forcolleges to the high-speed backbone andNetwork Operations Centre in Dublin.There are no international networking com-
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ponents included in this project which isbeing funded by the DES over a three-yearperiod (1999-2001) at an estimated totalcost of EUR 7.11 million (IEP 5.6 million).
• Next Generation Internet (NGI)The government is committed under theNational Development Plan (2000-2006)to supporting the development of enhancedInternet access in the third level educationsector. The project aims to increase thespeed and load-bearing capacity ofInternet access for third level institutions toenable real-time collaboration with highspeed international education andresearch networks. It is also envisaged thatthe project will enable the development ofadvanced network-based applicationresearch projects in Ireland. These includeactivities such as digital libraries, virtuallaboratories and telemedicine. All thirdlevel institutions in Ireland see the availabil-ity of advanced networking and comple-mentary applications as critical to theirresearch and teaching programmes.Funding of EUR 2.66 million (IEP 2.1 mil-lion) for the project for the year 2000 wasapproved by the Information Society FundEvaluation Team and provided through theDepartment of Public Enterprise. ThisDepartment will support the project from2001 to 2006, with approximately EUR
6.35 million (IEP 5 million) in funding to beprovided in 2001.
e2) Training of trainersUnder the Training of Trainers Programme,the Department of Education and Scienceprovides a wide ranging programme for re-training for staff in first, second and thirdlevel education and training centres. Thetraining provided is focused on identifiedneeds at each level and varies widely in con-tent, duration and mode of delivery, bothwithin and between sectors.
In the university sector, the programme ismanaged and coordinated by the HigherEducation Authority. Universities are invitedto submit proposals for courses in the follow-ing three areas:• staff development in teaching methodolo-
gies;• development of management skills for all
categories of staff;• updating knowledge and skills in techno-
logical, scientific and organisational fields.
Within the first of these categories, a numberof courses have been recommended forapproval in the 2001 programme, which areof relevance in the context of e-learning. Therelevant courses are set out in the table below.
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Institution Course
University College Dublin • Web-based Teaching Support• Educational Technology and Telematics:
the threats and opportunities facingacademics
University College Cork • Computer Assisted Teaching and Learning
National University of Ireland, Galway • On-line Teaching Skills for UniversityTeachers
• Teach the Teachers how to build a VirtualCurriculum
• Instructional Design in On-line Learning• Web-based Course Material• Using e-Learning to enhance Employee
Training
National University of Ireland, Maynooth • Proactive Teaching using IT.
Trinity College Dublin • Web-based Technology for Teaching andLearning
University of Limerick • Using E-mail Groups to build Communities inLarge Classes
• Computer-aided Educational Assessment• Understanding Computer-based Learning
Dublin City University • Internet Mediated Learning in HigherEducation
• Bio-informatics and its Implementation byComputer and Web-based DeliveryApproaches
• Teaching and Learning through ICTs in HigherEducation
St. Patrick’s, Drumcondra • Integrating Technology into Teaching:a technology-based workshop
• ICT – Enhancing Learning at Primary Level
All Ireland Society for Higher Education • Internet Mediated Learning
Courses generally take place in the latter halfof the year, have an average duration of 3days and usually involve 15-25 people. It isintended that a further call for proposals willbe issued in September 2001, with the inten-tion of approving more courses in November.
e3) Targeted initiativesThe recurrent grant allocated to the HEAincludes a provision for targeted funding forspecial initiatives. The targeted initiatives pro-
vide the opportunity for the universities andother HEA-funded institutions to work with theHEA in new developments in areas of identi-fied strategic importance in higher education.In recognition of the importance of the use oftechnology in education, the HEA has recom-mended that a new targeted initiative be putin place to provide support for the develop-ment of institutional strategies andapproaches which develop and support theuse of technology in learning.
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Aims and strategies
Aims• Improve the quality of teaching and learn-
ing;• enable students to acquire a sound grasp
of ICT and use it in their work;• train teachers to use ICT and apply it to
their work;• boost theoretical knowledge of ICT.
Main strategies• Providing schools with appropriate infra-
structure (targets: one computer for every10 pupils and an increase in the allocationof peripherals and audio-visual technol-ogy; maintenance and annual renewal of25% of the equipment by 2001; provisionof schools with technical back-up from spe-cialised teachers or outside experts);
• connecting all schools to the Internet (tar-get: daily access of at least six hours for250 days a year, with a bandwidth suitablefor multimedia teaching applications);
• establishing networks and boosting serv-ices (objectives: cabling schools and settingup networks within each individual school;providing all schools with organised serv-ices so that they can also access the exter-nal network via a server or router, as wellas an efficient phone link; providing teach-ers with services, course material andequipment for their own training; intensify-ing work already begun through the exten-sive pooling of experience and the devel-opment of teaching materials/equipment,resources and cooperation amongschools);
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Italy• encouraging the development and use of
educational multimedia products (objec-tive: establish school and local softwarelibraries for collective and/or individualuse);
• incorporating the study of ICT into curricula(inclusion in other subject areas at all levelsof education, and its introduction as a spe-cial compulsory subject during the first twoyears of secondary school) and explaininghow ICT can be effectively integrated intoeach of the disciplines concerned;
• training and advising teachers (objective:providing training and advice on the use ofICT in education).
(Sources: Programme for the Development of TeachingTechnology and Italian Action Plan for the InformationSociety)
Sharing of responsibilities
The Ministry of Education finances trainingin ICT and/or the provision of schools withcomputer equipment. While some of theresources go to the regional and provincialauthorities for the establishment of servicecentres, as well as advisory or resource cen-tres for the benefit of schools, another shareis allocated directly to the schools or researchbodies involved in carrying out pilot projects.From 2000/2001, schools will secure educa-tional and administrative autonomy and beable to raise funds to improve their provision.
Public/private partnerships
The provision of schools with computerequipment and ICT, connecting them to theInternet and the development of computernetwork services have generated partner-ships with the private sector: an agreement
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with Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), has ledto 5 000 schools being fitted with digitalsatellite dishes, while Internet providers areoffering free subscriptions to schools and IBMis taking part in the ‘Reinventing Education’initiative. Private outside bodies carry out ashare of teacher training.
Major initiatives implemented
a) Programme for the development ofteaching technology
Aims:• train teachers;• supply schools with multimedia equipment;• connect schools to the Internet;• set up networks and services for transmis-
sion.Partners: ministerial programme implemen-tation staff, schools, and private partnersincluding RAI, computer equipment suppliersand Internet providers.Target groups: teachers, pupils and studentsin primary and secondary (general, technicaland vocational) education.Period: 1997-2000.Measures for promotion and implementation:• establishment of multimedia premises/
facilities for teachers;• provision of ‘multimedia literacy’ courses
for teachers;• introduction and use of all kinds of ICT:
computer, telematics and television tech-nologies (schools with digital satellitedishes and listening centres for the provi-sion of distance education courses);
• provision of multimedia facilities suitablefor whole classes, premises fitted with a fewmultimedia work stations for group work, asingle multimedia work station for media-supported teaching, or service centres;
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• establishment of a link to the local networkand/or Intranet services (when schools arelinked by cable);
• free connection of schools to the Internet;• development of network services for pupils
and teachers.Results: the programme is now at an end andits results are as follows:• multimedia provision: the least advantaged
schools (primary, lower secondary andupper secondary schools) have at least onecomputer for 50 pupils and, on average,one computer for 10 pupils, whereas themost advantaged schools (the technicaland vocational establishments) have onecomputer for 10 pupils, while there are250 000 multimedia work stations in allthroughout the country;
• Internet connections: virtually all technicaland vocational schools, 90% of upper sec-ondary schools and 75% of lower second-ary and primary schools are connected tothe Internet.
• teacher training: ‘ICT literacy’ courses areprovided in 13 000 schools, while furtherprovision is the result of schools, inspec-torates and external bodies acting on theirown initiative; 450 000 teachers benefitfrom such provision.
b) Progetto SeT (Project SeT)
This is an initiative to support the implemen-tation of the Italian Action Plan for theInformation Society.Aims:• improve the mechanisms, structures and
teaching provision of scientific and techno-logical education;
• train teachers and offer them guidance,services and materials to support theiractivity;
• ensure that scientific and technologicaleducation is a matter of general interest
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and involve research institutes, museums,bodies for the protection of health and theenvironment and the industrial sector instrategies for bringing ICT into education.
Target groups: pupils and teachers in primaryand lower and upper secondary education.Period and budget: 1999-2002, with EUR7 230 (ITL 14 million) for each schoolselected (primary schools, lower secondaryschools, or ‘classical’ and artistic upper sec-ondary schools); EUR 2 066 (ITL 4 million) foreach technical and/or vocational school.Progress to date: 500 schools involved in1999 (200 primary schools, 150 lower sec-ondary schools and 150 upper secondaryschools).Measures for promotion and implementation:• submission of projects by schools, includ-
ing a plan for their teaching activity and adraft budget;
• examination, classification and financingof projects by programme technical sup-port services, in the inspectorates;
• drafting of a report by the schools contain-ing the following: programming andexperimentation involving at least two unitsof work (1), teacher training activities, theacquisition and use of resources and col-laborative network activity;
• analysis and exploitation of pilot projects.
c) Materiali per l’educazione scientifica etecnologica (Facilities for Scientific andTechnological Education)
Initiative to support implementation of theItalian Action Plan for the InformationSociety, in association with the ‘SeT Project’.
Aims: provide equipment and resources forscientific and technological education.
Partners: schools, universities, research cen-tres, and a committee of experts appointed atthe Istituto Nazionale di Documentazione perl’Innovazione e la Ricerca Educativa (Indire,or the National Documentation Institute forInnovation and Research in Education, whichwas formerly the library for educationalinformation resources in Florence).
Period and budget: the year 2000, with atotal budget of EUR 1.03 million (ITL 2 billion),and funding for each selected project to anupper limit of EUR 51 646 (ITL 100 million).
Measures for promotion and implementation:
• calls for project proposals;
• project appraisal by the special expertcommittee (with regard for the originalityand logical consistency of the content, thepossibility of using it at several levels ofeducation, the innovative value of the pro-posed methodologies and courses, andtheir ease of incorporation into normalschool practice and multidisciplinarynature);
• distribution of funding in accordance withthe following activities: the provision offacilities which can be directly used inteaching and relate to at least eight clearlydefined units of work (2), production of aguide for teachers, the publication of prod-ucts accessible on the Indire website, andcomputer network assistance to otherschools for a year from the time the prod-ucts are first available to them.
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(1) A unit of work is a precise area of teaching activityspecific to the subject areas identified in the curriculum(for example, ‘learning how to multiply’ might be con-sidered a precise area or ‘segment’ corresponding toa ‘unit of work’ in the subject area of ‘mathematics’) (2) See footnote 1.
d) 100 progetti (100 projects)
Aims: The aims are the same as in the case ofthe ‘Facilities for Scientific and TechnologicalEducation’ initiative, although the projectsare not concerned exclusively with scientificsubject areas. Out of 100 projects funded,those in their final form are made availableon the Indire website.
e) Alfabetizzazione scientifica (Scientific lit-eracy)
Aims: arrange training and counselling forteachers, training activities for pupils and theproduction of multimedia equipment.Target groups: teachers in primary and lowersecondary schools.Period: an ongoing project.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: the ‘problem-solving’ technique involv-ing groups of teachers, working groups onteaching methods and practice, and groupsof pupils.
f) SENIS
Aims: project for action-oriented researchand the production of teaching materials.Target groups: teachers and pupils in lowersecondary education.Period: the project ended in 2000.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: establishment of a telematics networkand the sharing of work experience.
g) LES
Aims: establish a national school network sup-ported by researchers in order to implementinnovative teaching laboratories, and to pro-duce and test new materials for use in schools.Target groups: the entire school system.Period: an ongoing project.
h) LABTEC
Aims: production of self-training materials inorder to reinforce laboratory activities in sci-entific and technological education.Target groups: teachers and pupils in the firsttwo years of upper secondary school.Period: an ongoing project.
i) Capire si può (The ability to understand)
Aims: validate and make available effectivemodels for achieving national standards inscience and mathematics curricula.Target groups: pre-primary and primaryschools.Period: an ongoing project.
j) Energy and how it is transformed
Aims: produce network resources and serv-ices to train science and technology teachers.Target groups: pupils aged 10-14.Period: an ongoing project.
k) Servizio Documentazione SoftwareDidattico (Information resources relatingto software)
Aims: inform teachers about the availability,characteristics and purpose of software forteaching purposes, and train them to selectappropriate products and plan suitablecourses geared to different needs. It isplanned to extend activities to include on-lineprovision.Partners: there is an agreement linking theMinistry of Education and the Genoa Instituteof Teaching Technology.Target groups: teachers and operators.Period: an ongoing initiative.
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l) Centro formazione insegnanti (Centre forteacher training)
Aims: make use of ICT in education.Target groups: teachers.Period: an ongoing project.Measures for promotion and implementation:setting up of a Teacher Development Centre.
m) Indagine OCSE sulle TIC (OECD surveyon ICT)
Aims: an international survey to study thecontribution of ICT to improving schooladministration and activity.Target groups: decision-makers, teachersand others involved in school provision.Period: an ongoing project.
n) Multimedialità in classe (Multimedia inthe classroom)
Aims: experiment with innovative hardwarematerials and new methodologies (involvingmultimedia laboratories, networks, etc.) forremedial activities and individual study.Target groups: teachers and pupils in uppersecondary education.Period: an ongoing project.
o) Osservatorio tecnologico (Technologicalobservatory)
Aims: monitor and make available ICT-derived products (networks, services, soft-ware, good practice, etc.).Target groups: teachers.Period: an ongoing project.
p) Catalogo del sofware didattico (Catalogueof software for teaching purposes)
Aims: collect, classify and make availablemultimedia products.Target groups: all levels of education.Period: an ongoing project.
q) Reinventing Education (3)
Aims: boost contact and cooperationbetween schools and the community, promotegood practice and develop the role of teach-ers.Partners: networks of schools and IBM (whichsupplies computer facilities and back-up forteacher training).Target groups: all levels of education.Period: an ongoing project.
r) Programme PC per gli studenti (PCs forStudents)
Aims: encourage families with young stu-dents enrolled in the first year of upper sec-ondary school to buy a personal computerwhich conforms to required quality, safetyand service standards, by making availableinterest-free loans of EUR 744 (ITL 1.44 mil-lion) repayable over a 24-month period.Partners: presidency of the Council ofMinisters and Associazione Bancaria Italiana(the Italian banking association).Target groups: students in the first year ofupper secondary school.Period: 30 March to 30 June 2001.
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(3) The original title of the Italian project is in English.
Aims and strategies
In line with the Feira European Summit (1)encouraging the development of an informa-tion society in all EU countries, theLuxembourg Ministry of Education,Vocational Training and Sport has introduceda series of projects for general implementa-tion from 2001/2002.
General aims• Familiarise young Luxembourg citizens
with ICT which is now an all-pervasive fea-ture of society and encourage them to thinkcritically about ICT;
• end the ‘digital divide’ between the ‘initi-ated’ and ‘uninitiated’ in computer science.
This means:• ensuring that teachers at all levels of edu-
cation are linked to computer networks;• providing a pilot lycée (2) with portable
computers for all pupils and teachers;• establishing an infrastructure for open dis-
tance education (in particular with a viewto lifelong learning).
Alongside these general aims are a numberof specific aims for each level of education.
Specific aims
Primary level: general aims should be distin-guished from those relating to teacher train-ing.
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LuxembourgThese projects are concerned with:• developing the ability of pupils to process
information, communicate, be creative andbecome more independent;
• making primary education responsive to theneeds of all children so that their individualrequirements are effectively catered for.
In teacher training, at least 120 hours aredevoted to ICT in the two years of initial train-ing (during which trainees may produce adissertation with a strong ICT focus, includinga theoretical appraisal of learning and thepotential contribution of ICT to it). In-servicetraining is concentrating on making teachersmore familiar with educational software andthe exchange of information on educationalpractice, but also has a training/researchdimension in a project on learning processesand teaching methods.
Secondary level: the aim is to make teachersmore responsive to ICT and as far as possibleensure its curricular integration, given thatmodern multimedia tools are conducive to amultidisciplinary approach and encourageteachers to provide for learning that placesgreater emphasis on intellectual curiosity,independence and the ability of pupils to takecharge of the process. To this end, both theMinistry of Culture, Higher Education andResearch and the Ministry of Educationencourage teachers to acquire the followingthree skill levels during in-service training:• minimum skills (basic familiarity with com-
monly used software, and Internetresearch, etc.);
• acquisition of more advanced skills (abilityto identify teaching situations to which ICTmakes an effective contribution and bemore familiar with its potential, etc.);
• acquisition of ‘meta’ ICT skills (know how toanalyse data critically, respect legal norms,etc.).
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(1) The European Council of 19-20 June 2000.(2) If the results of the project are considered to have
been worthwhile, all schools may eventually benefitfrom this provision.
Tertiary level
N.B.: since the law of 11 August 1996 onhigher education reform, the LuxembourgUniversity Centre and the HigherTechnological Institute (IST) have manage-ment and educational autonomy. Both institu-tions offer training in the field of computerscience.
IST is seeking to make as many computersand as much software available to students aspossible, and to update its computer facilities.
Sharing of responsibilities
a) Primary education
• Coordination and guidance regardinglogistical support to pre-primary and pri-mary schools are provided by the Ministryof Education, Vocational Training andSport.
• Equipment and other facilities are theresponsibility of the local municipal author-ities (the city of Luxembourg also arrangesfor logistical and educational support andactivity).
• Initial training is the responsibility of theMinistry of Culture, Higher Education andResearch. In-service training, in particularin ICT, is the responsibility of the Ministry ofEducation, Vocational Training and Sport.
b) General and technical secondary educa-tion
• The Media 2000 Programme (3) is run bya supervisory group of coordinators from
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the different departments of the Ministry ofEducation. Its Centre for EducationalTechnology (CTE) coordinates the logisticsof the Programme, as well as its budget,while its Department for the Coordinationof Research and Educational andTechnological Innovation (Script) (4) isentrusted with project evaluation.
• Initial training is the responsibility of theMinistry of Culture, Higher Education andResearch, whereas in-service training iscoordinated by the Script.
c) Tertiary education
• Since reorganisation of the government inAugust 1999, a new ministry has been cre-ated, namely the Ministry of Culture,Higher Education and Research which isresponsible for all matters concerned withtertiary education.
• Computer requirements are studied byeach department working jointly with thegovernment’s information technologydepartment which draws up plans for thebudget and issues calls for tender.
Public/private partnerships
Early 2001 initiatives are being discussedwith major equipment manufacturers and thedepartment of postal services and telecom-munications. For example, an initial experi-mental partnership between IST and Hewlett-Packard aimed at fitting out a room for com-puter projects is being developed.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, HigherEducation and Research is studying jointly
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(3) Programme for the provision of computer and multi-media equipment for the benefit of pupils in primaryeducation, which is administered by the CTE. Seebelow for further information.
(4) It should be noted that there is further information onthese initiatives: http://www.script.men.lu/documen-tation/archiv
with foreign tertiary education institutions thesetting up of a ‘virtual’ European universityfor the Greater Luxembourg-Sarre-LorraineRegion.
Major initiatives implemented
a) Primary education
a1) Multimedia Interface for Research andLearning (MIRA) Project
Aims: coordinated by the Script andlaunched at the start of 2000, this projectaims to develop proficiency in the use of ICTamong pupils (documentation and otherclassroom activities) and teachers (teachingpractice, assessment, etc.).Partners: Ministry of Education, local author-ities, primary schools. Target groups: primary school teachers andpupils
a2) Decoprim and Decolap ProjectsAims: projects launched in 1993 in order toidentify practices likely to stimulate the devel-opment of oral and written skills amongpupils in pre-primary and primary educa-tion, and to make use of ICT in languagelearning. Partners: pre-primary and primary schools,local authorities and the Ministry ofEducation. Target groups: teachers and pupils in pre-primary and primary educationProgress to date: TEO software has beensuccessful. This is a kind of oral word-proces-sor by means of which pupils in pre-primaryschool classes can record and reprocess whatthey have said using an oral support facility.It is planned to develop a version geared tonovel operating systems.
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b) Secondary education
b1) MEDIA 2000 ProjectsAims: these projects are intended to developand implement action plans for computeris-ing general and technical secondary schoolsso as significantly to increase their ICT facili-ties. Partners: the projects have been carried outby the Centre for Educational Technology andare coordinated by senior officials in the sec-ondary education department, the Script andthe Luxembourg telematics network for edu-cation and research.Target groups: pupils in general and techni-cal secondary schools.Progress to date: linking the project to aninnovative concept stimulates teachers and isconducive to the use of new teaching meth-ods.Measures for promotion and implementation:the Luxembourg government has earmarkedEUR 2.5 million for the MEDIA projects.Secondary schools submit innovative ICT pro-posals and, via the CTE, MEDIA 2000 pro-vides the former with the facilities they needto carry the projects out. It is planned to mon-itor these initiatives and prepare documen-tary information on their evaluation.
b2) FranTic ProjectAims: in order to encourage the incorpora-tion of ICT into the secondary education cur-riculum, this project (used in the teaching ofFrench) seeks to bring the proficiency of allpupils in ICT up to the same level. The projecthas a twofold objective. On the one hand, theaim is to prepare appropriate content and,on the other, to train teachers to use ICT as ateaching resource. Target groups: pupils in general and techni-cal secondary schools, and teachers ofFrench.
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b3) Project to restructure the educationalcontent of upper secondary education
Aims: this project sets out to include the useof ICT in the curriculum in such a way thatpupils learning any subject acquire certainskills (in reading, writing, transmission oftheir own work) and become more activelyinvolved and independent.
Target groups: pupils in general and techni-cal secondary schools.Measures for promotion and implementation:Special attention will be devoted to educationin ICT media, so that pupils use media andmultimedia as effectively as possible.
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Aims and strategies
General aimModernise the entire education system andimproving the quality of the education pro-vided.(Source: 1997 government plan: Investeren in voor-sprong (‘Investing in the Future’); Memorandum coveringthe 1999-2002 period: Onderwijs on line (‘Education online’).
Specific aims• Encourage innovative teaching and learn-
ing practice at all levels through the intro-duction of appropriate educational soft-ware;
• enable those involved in the education sys-tem (such as teachers and school heads) toacquire the necessary skills in ICT so that itcan be effectively incorporated in the edu-cation system;
• ICT policy and emancipation; achieveequality of opportunity for all pupils irre-spective of their sex, social and culturalbackground, ethnic origin or physicalattributes in order to counter socialinequality, while offering special support tochildren who suffer from language prob-lems or physical handicaps, by using ICT toassist them with learning;
• extend the role of cultural institutions;• intensify international cooperation.
Main strategies• Strengthening the contribution of ICT to lev-
els of education (primary and secondaryeducation, adult education and trainingand teacher training);
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incorporation of ICT into the education sys-tem;
• encouraging schools to determine them-selves the most appropriate means of incor-porating ICT (among the options, for exam-ple, are investment of resources in the in-service training of teachers, the develop-ment of new educational software or therecruitment of ICT coordinators and admin-istrators), with the government setting thegeneral objectives and ensuring that condi-tions are conducive to the satisfactoryintroduction of ICT into education;
• action in the following four areas: profes-sional development, educational coursesand software, infrastructure and theKennisnet (Knowledge Net) network.Activities under these headings includetraining provision, connecting schools, col-leges and universities to the Internet, con-struction and extension of networks,increasing the number of exchange initia-tives, devising and promoting the use ofnew tools and methods, establishment ofpartnerships, production of products andservices, provision of e-mail addresses forstudents and the establishment of digitaluniversities.
Sharing of responsibilities
The government sets the general aims,ensures that conditions are suitable for thesatisfactory introduction of ICT into the edu-cational system and informs the partiesinvolved of ongoing developments. It alsomakes a financial contribution to ICT in edu-cation (see ‘budget’ below). For example, theMinistry of Education, Culture and Sciencehas encouraged the production of educa-tional software by awarding resources to spe-cialised centres of expertise, while attempting
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to make them more widely known andbroaden access to them.
Schools establish a plan setting out the meansfor including ICT in their provision. In addi-tion, they themselves earmark the correspon-ding resources, for example for in-serviceteacher training or the purchase of educa-tional software. They can acquire computersand software, provided they formally applyfor them. The inspectorate ensures thatexpenditure is effective and action is directedtowards the main aims.
Public/private partnerships
In the course of managing ICT infrastructure,schools form numerous partnerships withregional and local authorities, as well asfirms.
Over 75 suppliers offer services and newcontent on the Kennisnet website. TheNetwork also provides access to 200 web-sites distributing teaching materials devel-oped, paid for and maintained by publishers.Many materials are also supplied by theThinkquest network (1).
Major initiatives implemented
The Onderwijs on line Memorandum, cover-ing the 1999-2002 period, describes themajor initiatives which are organised aroundthe four areas of action concerned. Highereducation constitutes a separate category.
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a) Professional development
Aims: enable teachers, school heads and oth-ers involved in education to acquire theexpertise needed for the satisfactory incorpo-ration of ICT into the education system.Notwithstanding the provision of training,school networks and research for the designand distribution of new tools and methods,around half of all teachers and many schoolheads consider their ICT skills are inadequateand require in-service training focused onICT applications in educational activity.Target groups: teachers, school heads andothers involved in the education system.Period: 1999-2002.Measures for promotion and implementation:• identification of new key skills and pro-
posed measures for their acquisition insuch a way that both general needs andthe needs of specific groups, such as schoolheads, are satisfied;
• incentives for the provision and financingof training;
• appraisal of the skills acquired and theaward of qualifications;
• funding.
b) Educational courses and software
Aims:• the development of software for teaching
suitable official courses and supportinginnovative methods of teaching and learn-ing;
• distribution of up-to-date informationregarding the availability of software andits possible applications.
Target groups: primary and secondaryschools.Period: 1999-2002.Measures for promotion and implementation:• extending knowledge, ease of access and
use of the tools already available;
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(1) Thinkquest is a website for a variety of target groups,which provides services and guidance to users in the fieldof education. It operates in liaison with the Kenniset andSurfnetnetworks. http://www.thinkquest.nl/zoeken.html
• support for training and for the effortinvested in sharing the knowledge andexpertise acquired as a result of such newresources (establishment of a discussionarea on software in the KennisnetNetwork),
• involvement of schools and teachers in thedevelopment of innovative software;
• funding schools so that they can purchasesoftware and developing real responsive-ness to what they require.
Progress to date: in 2000, financial supportwent to 105 development projects and 200projects for the construction of networks.
c) Management of ICT – Infrastructure
Aims: ensure that schools are responsible fortheir ICT infrastructure so that it is fullygeared to established objectives.Partners: schools, local and regional levels,firms.Target groups: primary and secondaryschools.Period: 1999-2002.Measures for promotion and implementation:• ensuring schools are fully informed about
possible facilities, planning and forms ofcooperation;
• attempting to encourage schools, with thesupport of head teachers who are morefully trained, to draw up plans for incorpo-rating ICT which are an integral part of theway schools are organised as a whole;
• making school management less onerousand providing for standard facilities;
• encouraging and supporting partnershipswith local and regional authorities andfirms for the establishment and manage-ment of infrastructure (development of amanagement vade mecum, preparation ofa study on regional initiatives and a‘golden disc’ to deal with malfunctioning,and joint effort by the ICT Directorate and
six national school council associations forthe setting up of a national Stichting ICT opschool (‘Foundation for ICT at school’),
• funding for maintenance.
d) Kennisnet (Knowledge Net)
Aims: provision of access of all schools tohigh quality services via Kennisnet. Amongthe features of this network are the following:it may be accessed by all groups or institu-tions connected with the educational sector;the bandwidth is sufficient for all pupils toconsult multimedia electronic sources andmake their own work available on line simul-taneously or in groups; services are maderapidly available; clarity and transparency sothat pupils and teachers can easily find edu-cational material; security safeguards; possi-ble use of e-mail addresses and the organi-sation of discussion groups providing for theextensive exchange of information. Allschools and other educational institutions,libraries and museums will be linked toKennisnet before the end of 2001.Target groups: children, pupils, teachers,school heads, parents and educational insti-tutions, libraries and museums.Period: 1999-2002.Measures for promotion and implementation:• connection of all schools to the Internet
before the end of 2001;• extension of the gateway website: addition
of an examination section, a search engineand a News for Young People section;
• extension of the network and services:addition of 17 new networks, new servicesand content provided by 75 suppliers;
• making available 200 electronic websiteson which the network transmits teachingmethods (with the sites developed, paid forand maintained by the publishers whichproduce this material);
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• access to the website free of charge (forpupils and teachers) and with a charge (forother users);
• financing (EUR 1.36 for each connection tothe network and EUR 11.3 per pupil tocover use of the system);
• distribution of a brochure on the introduc-tion and use of ICT in schools.
e) Higher education
Aims: ensure that conditions are such thathigher education institutions can determinewhat policies to follow as regards ICT (HigherEducation and Research Plan, or HOOP). Target groups: universities, with EUR 16.8million for the financing of risk projects in1999/2000.Measures for promotion and implementation:• increasing the availability of digital teach-
ing materials, raising the level of expertise
among teachers and improved planningfor the incorporation of ICT in education;
• improving the national higher educationnetwork Surfnet (2) which is part of theGigaPort project;
• establishment of a digital university by 12higher education institutions.
Progress to date: this is the level of educationat which understanding of the use of ICT ismost advanced (applications of standards,use of e-mail, and the excellent qualitySurfnet network).
Budget
Government budgets for investment in ICThave been increased regularly since 1998,but until now these increases have not beenof a permanent, structural nature. The figuresin Table 1 represent only the structural bud-gets. Structural increases have been claimedas from the year 2001.
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Table 1Total budgets for ICT investments (in millions of euros)
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005EUR 348 295 272 212 212 212
Table 2Breakdown of budgets (Table 1) for 2000 and 2001 (in millions of euros)
2000 20011. To school budgets 289.1 189.2 2. Professional development 1.4 2.3 3. Development of software and methods 8.6 12.34. Technical management 2.3 3.2 5. Kennisnet 43.6 82.1 6. Other projects 2.7 5.9
(2) Surfnet is the national electronic network of highereducation and research institutions. It links up manyinstitutions throughout the country and is also con-nected to other European and international networks.http://www.surfnet.nl/en/surfnet-organisation/
These figures concern only the extra moneybudgeted by the Ministry of Education,Culture and Science. They do not includemoney spent by schools from their existingbudgets, expenditure by local authorities, orinvestment by publishers and other compa-nies in the development of software, etc.
It should be noted that the budgets trans-ferred to schools are not earmarked. Theyare added to the regular budgets of schoolswhich themselves decide on their allocation.In practice, most schools spend (consider-ably) more than these extra sums on ICT.
The school budgets are intended for hard-ware, software, professional development,staff, technical management and any otherschool expenditure on ICT. The figures inTable 2 (corresponding to 2, 3, 4 and 6) aresums spent on developmental and other proj-ects. Expenditure arising from (for example)the professional development of teachers at aparticular school comes from that school’sbudget.
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Aims and strategies
Two general aims• Promote effective, long-lasting and system-
atic implementation of ICT in the areas ofeducation, science and culture;
• introduce the e-Learning concept intoacademies, universities and adult educa-tion and training, as well as in learning onthe network, the training of future teachers,and within society as a whole.
A general strategyThe aim of the ICT strategy of the Ministry ofEducation is that e-Learning and the Internetshould become natural learning resources. Theseaims are reflected in eight priority projects:• establishment of e-Learning academies (1);• extending opportunities for training in ICT;• developing on-line teaching content/edu-
cational gateways;• setting up ICT scientific centres;• enriching adult education and training;• promoting the Austrian cultural heritage
over the Internet;• launching ‘e-Government’ in education;• adapting the infrastructure.
Sharing of responsibilities
Compulsory general schools comprising pri-mary schools, general secondary schools
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Austria(Hauptschule) and pre-vocational schools(Polytechnische Schule) are financed by themunicipalities, municipal associations andthe Länder.
Lower and upper secondary academicschools (Allgemeinbildende höhere Schulen,or AHS) (2), and full-time technical and voca-tional schools and colleges (TVE) receive theirfunding from the federal authorities.
Depending on the curriculum, teachers them-selves decide on the teaching methods to beused and the content of work in the class-room.
Public/private partnerships
• Vocational education, in particular, hasenjoyed a long association with companiessuch as Siemens or Philips (for example,the industrial sector can be represented onthe committees of these schools).
• In Vienna, there is cooperation betweenschools providing compulsory educationand the city aimed at ensuring that schoolsare supplied rapidly with computers andsecure Internet access.
• Within schools for vocational training(excluding vocational training centres),there are numerous partnerships with theprivate sector in the field of the humanities,depending on where particular schools arelocated.
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(1) Adult education institutions which cooperate partlywith the provinces and municipalities and which arealso partly involved in the European regional devel-opment initiative ‘goal 3-programme’.
(2) Schools providing both lower and upper secondaryeducation.
(3) The Hauptschule is a school providing lower second-ary education.
(4) See 4 b1) below.(5) In line with the conclusions of the European Council of
Feira (19-20 June 2000).
Major initiatives implemented
a) Appraisal of the situation in schools(adaptation of facilities/curricula to ICT)by level of education
a1) Lower secondary education (3)Although their facilities and the level of train-ing of their teachers varies, all Hauptschulenhave reached a basic level in terms of ICT-ori-ented facilities and curricula and, in some,this level is more advanced. Schools maydevote special (optional or compulsory)courses to ICT and some of them (the so-called ‘computer science’ schools) exercisetheir autonomy by making this field a prior-ity. Schools are being rapidly connected tothe Internet and several of them already havetheir own home page.
a2) Schools for vocational training (exclud-ing vocational training centres)
Since 1998, experiments have been con-ducted in 131 classes with 66 school websitesfor more extensive training to boost familiar-ity with ICT. Various further training projectsare also under way: training of teachers tothe same level so that they receive industrialcertificates in ICT; similar on-line training viathe ‘eFit’ academy (4); academy placements;introduction of a new form of training ininformation technologies; the establishmentof specialised schools in computer technologyand communication and data processing;and the obligation in future for all graduatesin technical vocational training to haveobtained a level II grade in computer sciencetestifying to specialised knowledge in thisfield, etc.
4 a3) Upper secondary educationComputer science was introduced as a com-pulsory subject in the AHS from 1987onwards. These schools have been linked intheir own network since 1995 and, since1999, all schools for which the federal author-ities are responsible have been similarly linkedand connected to the Internet. As regards edu-cation in ICT, this has recently been included inthe curricula of all schools from primary levelupwards. Several projects such as the ‘schoolbook’ action (enabling products associatedwith the new media to be ordered) or theNotebook project (initiated in 2000/2001and used for entire classes both at school andat home) are being implemented.
b) General initiatives
b1) Establishment of e-Learning academiesAims: future teachers are being offered spe-cial training in order to familiarise them withthe educational and teaching potential of thenew media and ensure that, from 2002onwards, a large proportion of them (some120 000 teachers) (5) have the knowledgerequired to obtain the ‘European ComputerDriving Licence’. Target groups: future teachers (all levels ofeducation).Progress to date: in 2000, 30-40% of futureteachers were already basically familiar withICT, and there are further incentives for all ofthem to update and acquire knowledge to thesame level. Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: the following four measures areplanned:• teaching of basic knowledge in the field of
ICT (see for example the web site
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http://www.ecdl.at) with a view to classwork based on the ‘learning to teach’ proj-ect;
• an on-line academy to ensure that allteachers acquire the same ICT skills;
• placements to upgrade knowledge, mainlyfor future teachers;
• assistance with access to the Internet forteachers familiarising themselves with it forthe first time, via the CD-ROM ‘eFit,Austrian teachers on the Internet’.
b2) Extending opportunities for trainingAims: training opportunities have beenextended (in particular through joint initia-tives with high tech companies) to satisfynovel requirements in the area of computerskills and compensate for the shortage ofteachers specialised in ICT.Target groups: pupils and students in sec-ondary and tertiary education, adults.Measures for promotion and implementation:the following five measures are planned:• the creation of new training places in ICT in
secondary schools, the TVE and the univer-sities;
• the launching of pilot projects (based onself-training) providing evening classes intechnical schools;
• revision of the school curriculum (schoolsfor general education) as regards the com-puter science branch of studies;
• the award of industrial certificates forpupils and students in compulsorybranches of study in the AHS;
• the opening of schools to adult traininginstitutions.
b3) Developing on-line teaching content/educational gateways
Aims: creation of an educational gatewayoffering direct access to all courses availableis planned for the end of 2002. Teachers willbe able to develop their courses on the basis
of company or university teaching packagesand exchange their experience on line; dis-tance courses will be in subject areas forwhich there is especially high demand, suchas those offered by the Höhere technischeLehranstalt (6). E-Learning content for highereducation will be developed in a separateprogramme offered to the community on anetwork basis (7).Target groups: primary and secondaryschools, the TVE and the universities.Results to date: the end of the first stage ofsetting up the Austrian educational gatewayis planned for the first quarter of 2001.
b4) Setting up of ICT scientific centresAims: so that ICT can be even more fully inte-grated into the universities and TVE, researchand development centres will be set up, par-ticularly in fields of study in which Austria canmake a pioneering contribution (such as thedevelopment of software, computer security,etc.) and derive benefit from cooperationwith the industrial sector. Partners: the ministry of education, the TVE,the universities and the industrial sector.Measures for promotion and implementation:a number of schemes are well advanced,such as ‘Graz – Centre for Science andResearch’ which is seeking to relocate ICTresearch bodies wherever conditions aremost favourable and set up an Institute for thedevelopment of software; the establishment ofa computer centre in Innsbruck; and a projectto determine conditions for the siting of newfirms; building up a network among univer-sity teachers using and developing e-contentin teaching; building up a database contain-ing e-content and e-Learning projects (8);
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(6) Schools specialised in electronic data processing andin organisation.
(7) See website: http://www.nml.at
developing new studies in which ICT is themain field at the universities of Vienna,Salzburg, Klagenfurt, Innsbruck and Linz.
b5) Enriching adult education and trainingAims: this initiative is encouraging access tolearning from the level of basic education touniversity courses, taking in both general andvocational training. With special emphasison the integration of disadvantaged groups,it will involve the establishment of skills cen-tres for adult education and training, theenhancement of e-Learning models, thepreparation of measures for the integration ofcertain target groups (such as the elderly andwomen) and the extension of adult educationinformation and guidance.Target groups: adults with an emphasis ondisadvantaged groups.
b6) Promoting the Austrian cultural her-itage over the Internet
Aims: a variety of initiatives have beenlaunched following the proposals of PresidentKlestil on 22 October 2000 to encourage thepromotion of the Austrian heritage by meansof computer science applications. Theyinclude the establishment and full develop-ment of the multimedia infrastructure ofarchives, libraries and museums; the settingup of an electronic gateway for museums,cultural institutions and citizens in general;and the marketing of cultural knowledge andassets by the Ministry of Education with thesupport of firms. Target groups: museums, cultural institutionsand citizens.
b7) Launching of eGovernment in educa-tion
Aims: the use of ICT is being generallyextended in order to simplify the administra-tion of educational institutions and make itmore effective, closer to citizens and moretransparent. Progress to date: the following were estab-lished in 2000: information and communica-tion systems in the administrative sector (elec-tronic processing of files, electronic communi-cation and purchasing system, etc.); a DataWarehouse for administrative information;and on-line information on vacant posts inthe field of training, etc.
b8) Adapting the infrastructure Aims: securing efficient Internet access andthe best possible facilities for all schools andtraining bodies. Target groups: primary schools, secondaryschools, the TVE and the universities.Measures for promotion and implementation:five main measures are particularly noteworthy:• implementation of the ‘computer millen-
nium’ to improve ICT infrastructure inschools;
• extension of the Austrian education andtraining network (ACOnet and ASN) linkedto international training and research net-works;
• access to the Internet for students at alltraining bodies;
• preparation of technical norms for the facil-ities of training bodies (equipment, soft-ware, computer networks);
• the promotion of public/private partner-ships.
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(8) See website:http://serverprojekt.fh-joanneum.at/sp/index.php
Aims and strategies
AimStep up the introduction and use of ICTthroughout society (the Internet Initiative).
Main strategiesEstablishment of a Ministry of Education pro-gramme coordination group (August 2000)responsible for initiatives concerned with ICTin education and the preparation of anational action plan;
Three further strategies receive support underProdep III, the funding programme for thedevelopment of education in Portugal, as fol-lows:• the installation of school computer facilities
and networks;• the development of multimedia educational
content;• teacher training.
Sharing of responsibilities
The Ministry of Education is responsible forthe entire education system including theincorporation of ICT into school curricula.Schools secure facilities and acquire softwareunder the government programme, Nónio.The Ministry of Science and Technology isresponsible for connecting schools and otherinstitutions, such as libraries, to the Internet.
The regional authorities are also responsiblefor providing ICT facilities in schools. Thelocal authorities have carried out this task forprimary schools, in liaison with the Internet
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Portugalna Escola programme conducted by theMinistry of Science and Technology.
Schools are encouraged to act autonomouslyby the Ministry of Education and decide howthey will use their resources. For example, theNónio programme enables them to acquiresoftware and computer facilities.
Public/private partnerships
Certain projects are encouraging partner-ships between schools and firms. School pro-jects for the use of ICT may lead to a part-nership with Portugal Telecom.
At ministerial level, some projects, such asNetd@ys (1) in which partnerships have beenestablished between the ministry, telecommu-nications operators and software and hard-ware manufacturers, are conducive to coop-eration with the private sector.
Agreements regarding education have alsobeen reached with Microsoft.
Major initiatives implemented
a) Nónio-XXI Century Programme (ICT pro-gramme for Schools)
Aims:• bring ICT into schools: 750 schools from
pre-primary to upper secondary level arebeing targeted;
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(1) The Netd@ys initiative is discussed briefly on p. 18 inPart 2 (The Action of the European Union) of ChapterI (ICT and education: discussion and action atEuropean level).
• develop on-line and off-line educationalcontent;
• broaden cooperation at European andinternational levels;
• promote studies concerned with ICT in edu-cation;
• assess the impact of ICT in schools.Target groups: all levels of education frompre-primary to upper secondary.Period: 1996-2000 (first phase of the pro-gramme).Measures for promotion and implementation:• promotion of projects to incorporate ICT in
education, and finance and administer thenecessary infrastructure (national call forproposals);
• certification of ICT skills centres in universi-ties, polytechnic institutes, teacher trainingcentres and scientific associations;
• involvement in eLearning, EuropeanSchoolnet, Netd@ys, the EU action pro-gramme, Socrates, and activities at theOECD (Organisation for EconomicCooperation and Development) Centre forEducational Research and Innovation(CERI).
This Ministry of Education programmecorresponds to the eLearning initiative atnational level, fully reflecting both nationaland European objectives.
b) Prodep III
Aims: • provide schools with computers: before
2003, there should be one computer for 20pupils in primary schools, and one com-puter for 10 pupils in secondary schools;by 2006, there should be one computer for10 pupils in all schools;
• ensure that all teachers acquire rudimen-tary ICT skills before 2006;
• develop multimedia educational content.
Partners: Prodep III: European Social Fundand European Regional DevelopmentDevelopment (ERDF).Target groups: primary and secondary lev-els, teacher training centres.Period: July 2000 onwards.Measures for promotion and implementation:calls for proposals.
c) Internet Initiative
Aims: • ensure that all teachers have a computer in
their homes before 2004;• enable all pupils and students to have
access to a computer by 2003;• enable all citizens to have access to the
Internet;• boost fixed-rate broadbandwidth connec-
tions (cable TV, ADSL, UMTS).Target groups: pupils and students, teachersand all citizens.Period: from August 2000 onwards.
d) Internet na Escola
Aims: extend connections to the Internet, inparticular for primary schools which shouldall be connected by the end of 2001.Partners: a Ministry of Science andTechnology initiative.Target groups: primary and secondary lev-els, universities and polytechnic institutes andmunicipal libraries.Progress to date: all secondary schools(around 1 600) have been connected to theInternet since 1997. Universities and thepolytechnic institutes have 15 connections,and some primary schools also have Internetaccess.
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Aims and strategies
A twofold general objectiveGiven that the main aim of education is tosupport the development of a human societybased on knowledge, the incorporation ofICT into the education system reflects the fol-lowing two objectives:• enabling everyone, in accordance with the
principle of equality of opportunity, toacquire the ICT knowledge and skillsneeded to study and develop their intellec-tual ability;
• encouraging the development of a realinformation society based on interactiveknowledge.
(Sources: Education and Research 1999-2004.Development Plan. Ministry of Education, 2000 andEducation, training and research in the information soci-ety. A National Strategy for 2000-2004. Ministry ofEducation, 1999).
Specific objectives• Enable everyone to secure access to ICT as
a method of learning. ICT will be includedin the basic curricula of educational estab-lishments, which will become innovativecentres for learning. Tutoring and coun-selling services, including technical assis-tance and support for teaching, will beestablished throughout the country toaddress the needs of increasingly extensiveopen and distance learning.
• Improve the quality of education andresearch through the use of ICT as aresource offering a whole new area ofpotential. The sectors of education andresearch will each operate in networks.Projects for network activities will lead tothe establishment of a variety of research
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Finlandnetworks, virtual schools and universities,and to increased interaction between theeducational sector and working life. Theresearch will be of high quality and befuelled by this greater cooperation involv-ing international partners in particular. Asa result of these networks, schools willdevelop new educational strategies. Part ofteacher training will concentrate on thedevelopment of virtual studies. The use ofICT will make these learning methods moreflexible and lead to the development ofnew forms of open and distance educationmeeting the needs of a great many people.Finally, the digital transmission of researchfindings and new learning resources, alongwith the establishment of virtual libraries,will provide cutting edge information toresearchers, teachers and students.
(Source: Education, training and research in the informa-tion society. A National Strategy for 2000-2004. Ministryof Education, 1999).
Main strategies adopted• An initial national strategy (National strat-
egy for education, training and research inthe information society) was drawn up in1995 to achieve the foregoing aims. Thenational ‘Information Society Programme’which implemented this strategy from 1996to 1999 covered the following areas:school computer network activity and meth-ods of in-service education and training fortrainers.
• A second phase (National strategy for2000-2004) is being prepared on thebasis of an appraisal of the first period. Themain findings of this evaluation were thatinternationally, the information society inFinland was of a high standard, particu-larly with regard to technological infra-structures, but that there was inadequateand inconsistent use of ICT in education,while investment was earmarked mainly forfacilities and the development of computer
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networks, notwithstanding a significantincrease in expenditure on education,training and research. Four areas of actionhave therefore been identified for theabove-mentioned second phase, as fol-lows: development of the knowledge andskills needed in the information society (inrelation to citizenship, the education andtraining of teachers, and education andtraining in areas linked to the informationindustry and the new media); promotion ofcomputer networks as a means of learning(the varied use of networks in teaching andlearning, virtual school and university pro-jects); accumulation of information digitalcapital (expansion and diversification ofthe content of production); and thestrengthening of infrastructure in the edu-cation and research sectors. Both imple-mentation of the principle of lifelong learn-ing and cooperation between the privateand public sectors would be essential toachieving these objectives.
(Source: Education, training and research in the informa-tion society. A National Strategy for 2000-2004. Ministryof Education, 1999).
Sharing of responsibilities
At central level, the Ministry of Educationdetermines the strategy and aims of the infor-mation society in the fields of education,training and research. The National Board ofEducation implements and coordinates theprogramme for basic education, general andvocational upper secondary education andadult education. It is responsible for the cre-ation of networks, acquiring facilities, theproduction of digital learning equipment, in-service teacher training and the setting up ofvirtual schools.
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At local level, the local authorities are a keypartner responsible for a major share of thefinancing of primary and secondary educa-tion. Decisions relating to the acquisition offacilities or the determination of local strate-gies are the responsibility either of the localauthorities, or the schools if these tasks havebeen delegated to them. Schools and theirteaching staff together decide on teachingmethods and course content, as well asteaching/learning materials, etc.
Public/private partnerships
There is no specific partnership with com-puter equipment manufacturers or contentproducers.
Major initiatives implemented
The plan for implementation of the nationalinformation strategy for education andresearch in the period from 2000 to 2004was published by the Ministry of Education in2000. It sets out the aims and content of theprojects concerned.(Source: Information Strategy for Education and Research2000-2004. Implementation Plan. Ministry of Education,2000).
a) Citizenship skills in the InformationSociety
Aims: with a view to ensuring that everyonehas the skills required by the informationsociety (including technical and communica-tion skills, skills in the acquisition and use ofinformation, expertise as a consumer and theability to become involved in informationsociety policy), the programme aims toencourage people to learn skills associatedwith citizenship, to establish a programme for
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learning and devise pilot projects, to establisha network along with the basic conditions forimplementation of the programme, and todraw attention to information society servicesand the various resources required.Partners: adult and higher education institu-tions, local authorities and libraries, TheFinnish Broadcasting Company and othermedia, civic bodies and social partners,major firms in the sector, and consultants andadministrators concerned with basic services.Target groups: all citizens and, in particular,groups that are disadvantaged in terms ofeducation and training.Measures for promotion and implementation:a campaign to inform and heighten theawareness of the entire population, the estab-lishment of an appropriate project that relieson a broad network, together with pilot pro-jects, a project coordinated by the localauthorities and geared to local needs, and apooling on the Internet of the expertise ofteaching, library and advisory staff for thebenefit of all citizens.
b) Training for teaching staff
Aims: • develop a strategy for the use of ICT in
education (in teacher training units by2001 and in educational establishments by2002);
• train over half of all educational staff in theuse of ICT as a tool for teaching and pro-vide the majority of teachers with basicknowledge of ICT.
Partners: education and training in ICT isprovided by the universities, the polytechnicsand the National Board of Education.Target groups: teachers.Measures for promotion and implementation:teacher training is planned in three stages:• mastery of basic computer techniques
(word processing, Internet browsers, e-mail
addresses) and understanding of the prin-ciples governing the use of ICT in educa-tion;
• a sound grasp of the use of ICT in educa-tion (different ways of using electronicaddresses, as well as the Internet and‘groupware’, including generic tools,teaching applications, digital equipmentavailable on the subject and some rudi-mentary knowledge regarding the produc-tion of digital learning equipment), famil-iarity with software and developments inhardware, and an understanding of issuessurrounding the development of ICT;
• a good grasp of specialised knowledge inthe case of some 10% of teachers (applica-tions for professional purposes or related tospecific content, production of digital learn-ing equipment, information management,assistance and training for colleagues,active involvement in the development ofthe school community, intervention as net-work experts).
c) Information industry and digital commu-nication professionals
Aims: this project is part of a programmewhose aim is to overcome the labour short-age in information industry sectors, digitalcommunications and the new media througheducation and initial and in-service training.Its purpose is to make these sectors moreattractive, broaden the basis for recruitment,propose measures for developing the qualityof education in these sectors and shorten theperiod of studies.
d) Virtual university
Aims: the aim is to establish before 2004 avirtual university involving universities,research institutes and big firms. The univer-sity will produce and deliver high-level edu-
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cational services which are internationallycompetitive. It will provide education for alllevels and sectors, including undergraduate,postgraduate, open university and continuingvocational education.Partners: universities, research institutes, bigenterprises.Measures for promotion and implementation:the means being mobilised are the develop-ment of a denser network, diversified provi-sion and quality in education and research,the establishment of appropriate educationalservices, the application of ICT in education,and the development of an attractive alterna-tive to higher education. These aspects arebeing supported by the following: work onorganisational aspects of the virtual univer-sity; the setting up of advisory and evaluationsystems in the field of ICT, as well as technicaland teaching assistance regarding courses;the development of strategies for the use ofICT in courses; the introduction of in-serviceteacher training; the creation of a researchnetwork to study learning environments; andthe production of content.
e) Virtual school
Aims: • make it possible to study with support from
quality teaching based on varied use ofICT, irrespective of place and time;
• enable all students to study and obtainqualifications;
• develop computer networks offeringadvice, services and educational materials,including internationally-oriented services;
• identify and overcome technical, teaching,social and administrative problems associ-ated with new forms of study and learning;
• use a forum to develop the skills of teach-ers, students and pupils;
• intensify cooperation between schools andsociety and, in particular, the world ofwork;
• develop the principles and practice ofappropriate teaching;
• enable all schools to take part in the pro-ject.
Partners: the authorities responsible for edu-cation, schools and other educational andtraining institutions and the private sector(production of teaching/learning materials).Target groups: comprehensive school pupils,general and vocational upper secondaryschool students, employed persons, teachers.Measures for promotion and implementation:• gateway website: propose modules,
courses and other educational packages,together with learning materials andensure the promotion of good practice;
• production of courses for digital radio andtelevision;
• stimulate schools to develop their activitiestowards a virtual school with the help ofgateway website services, training andconferences, and financial support for theacquisition of software and hardware forschools which develop a strategic plan,services and teaching/learning materials.
f) Research and development (R&D) relat-ing to learning environments
Aims: the aim is to meet needs arising fromthe adoption of the information strategy, bydevising evaluation and forecasting modelsfor the strategy and by developing new top-quality learning environments which are ofspecial relevance to virtual university andschool projects.Measures for promotion and implementation: • creation of a multidisciplinary R&D net-
work to offer advice on how (virtual uni-versity and school) networks should bedeveloped, formulate proposals on how
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ICT can improve schools, encourage closecontact between the partners involved andwith international centres, and boost themarketing of digital learning products andtheir use for educational purposes;
• establishment of a multidisciplinary gradu-ate school specialising in research on thelearning environment.
g) Content production
Aims: the aims of the project are to step up thedevelopment of digital culture, boost the useof national cultural capital and support indus-tries responsible for producing educationalcontent, especially at international level.Measures for promotion and implementation:launching of initiatives concerned with digitallearning equipment, the digital production ofcontent, digitisation of the cultural heritage,the digital management of information, theproduction of sports-related content, com-puter networks concerned with tourism, andcopyright.
h) Information society structures
Aims: • construction of a comprehensive hardware
and Internet system (education andresearch);
• management of national and regionalresource distribution.
Measures for promotion and implementation:• analysis of the current situation and organ-
isation of the next round of data gathering;• launching of an R&D project for a more
user-friendly environment.
i) Evaluation of the implementation andimpact of the information strategy
Aims: ensure that full benefit is derived fromthe strategy.Measures for promotion and implementation:• constitution of a group of evaluation con-
sultants;• preparation of a strategy for an ongoing
internal and external evaluation;• implementing a programme for evaluation
involving the following: analysis of the cur-rent situation (at the end of 2000); annualgathering of relevant data; organisation ofan annual evaluation seminar (from 2000to 2005); special evaluations of priorityareas; intermediate evaluation (2002-2003); and a final report (2004-2005).
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Aims and strategies
A twofold general aim• Enable all to take an active part in public
debate and professional life through uni-versal guaranteed access to ICT and acqui-sition of the skills needed to use it;
• use of ICT as an interactive learning tool toenable all people to upgrade and extendtheir skills, given that lifelong learning isbecoming essential to cope with the rapidchanges affecting society.
Specific aims• Enhance the educational potential and
development prospects of schools throughuse of the new technologies. The Nationelltprogram för IT i skolan (National pro-gramme for ICT in schools) supports thedevelopment of new technologies in com-pulsory and upper secondary education,with novel teaching possibilities and newroles for teachers and pupils, a closer inter-relationship between society and workinglife, involvement in efforts to achieve fair-ness among pupils by enabling them toacquire the same degree of proficiency inICT, and support to encourage an interna-tional outlook on the part of schools.The aim of training trainers and teachers isto provide them with the ability to use newtechnologies as a teaching resource.
• Encourage lifelong learning through theuse of the new technologies as a means tolearning and the growth of knowledge.Pupils in post-compulsory education shouldobtain the educational grounding to pre-pare them for lifelong learning and, in par-
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Swedenticular, the necessary social and communi-cation skills. Adult education institutionsare concerned with offering people themeans to develop their learning ability soas to encourage their involvement in socialand professional activity. ICT is one of thesemeans. One of the aims of developingteaching about ICT in tertiary education isto encourage lifelong learning.
• Satisfy economic needs and encouraginglabour market integration. One of the aimsof universities and university colleges nowis to meet the needs of workers skilled in theuse of the new technologies. These needsare apparent both in high tech sectors, aswell as in public administration and busi-ness. Meeting them satisfactorily helpsyoung people to enter the labour market.
Main strategies adopted• Use of new technology as a learning tool at
all levels of education, including municipaland liberal adult education. Through studyinga variety of subjects, pupils and students incompulsory and upper secondary educationlearn to use ICT meaningfully as a researchmechanism (familiarity with and selection ofdifferent sources of information, sorting ofdata and appraisal of the sources from whichit is gathered). Upper secondary educationalso seeks to develop critical attitudes regard-ing those aspects of ICT which young peoplestudy. The Media programme, one of 17national programmes offered at upper sec-ondary level, is oriented towards media pro-duction, i.e. modern information and produc-tion technology. Municipal and liberal adulteducation institutions give courses for theacquisition of basic knowledge in ICT-relatedsubjects which students select in accordancewith their requirements. In tertiary education,an increasing number of courses are usingICT as an educational resource.
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Since 1 January 1998, the initial trainingof trainers includes a specific educationalcomponent, namely the use of computersand learning about information technol-ogy. The National programme for ICT inschools enables teachers to undergo spe-cial in-service training for the purpose ofenhancing their skills and knowledgeregarding the new technologies.
• Financial investment for incorporating ICTinto the education system. Both teachertraining and tertiary education are receiv-ing increased financial resources todevelop ICT courses.
• Establishment of a national agency for dis-tance education (Distum) to support theapplication of ICT in the provision of dis-tance education at university level and inliberal adult education.
• Upgrading the SUNET network (linking alluniversities and university colleges inSweden). The offer to main municipallibraries and county museums of a fixedon-line connection.
Sharing of responsibilities
At central level, parliament and the govern-ment are responsible for all publicly fundededucation and training. At national level,nearly all education comes under theMinistry of Education and Science, whichformulates the main policies underlying theeducation system and establishes its curric-ula. The Skolverket (National Agency forEducation) and the Högskoleverket (NationalAgency for Higher Education) are the centraladministrative authorities, entrusted withsupervision and evaluation of the system. TheMinistry of Industry is concerned with thedevelopment of the e-community and some ofits activities touch upon education. The gov-ernment bill Ett informationssamhälle för alla
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(‘An Information Society for All’) stresses theimportance of using ICT in education and thedesirability of all citizens acquiring ICT skills.
At local authority level, the municipalitieswhich are responsible for public-sector edu-cation (except at university level), draw up aprogramme for schools setting out the meas-ures required to meet national objectives.Many municipalities have introduced strate-gies which are designed to broaden access toICT and are also concerned with education.Central and local levels work flexiblytogether. For example, schools may obtainnational subsidies to secure Internet accessunder the National programme for ICT inschools.
At school level, each school draws up aworking programme in accordance with theneeds and characteristics of its pupils, anddetermines its educational objectives alongwith corresponding measures and activities.
Universities and university colleges, whichenjoy considerable autonomy in determiningtheir resources and teaching methods, areresponsible for the use of ICT in higher edu-cation.
Municipalities provide schools with equip-ment and facilities for their activities, includ-ing electronic media equipment and hard-ware.
Public/private partnerships
Under the National programme for ICT inschools, agreements which may be renegoti-ated every six months have been reachedbetween the programme delegation and thecomputer manufacturers responsible for sup-plying local authorities with the latest com-
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puter equipment consistent with their require-ments. Following an agreement with the del-egation, the local authorities become the offi-cial owners of these computers.
One of the actions under the above pro-gramme is to supply teachers undergoingtraining in ICT with a computer which theywill retain for private use on completion oftheir course.
Major initiatives implemented
a) Nationelt program för IT I skolan – ITiS(the National Programme for ICT inSchools)
Aims and implementation:• develop ICT knowledge and skills on the
part of teachers and school heads: intro-duce training for the benefit of some70 000 teachers;
• ensure that teachers have access to a com-puter: those who receive training will besupplied with a computer which they willthen be able to keep;
• speed up Internet access for schools andprovide pupils and teachers with their owne-mail address: agreements for centralgovernment to provide municipal subsidiesfor this purpose;
• improve educational provision for disad-vantaged groups: special measures, fund-ing to speed up the development of educa-tional multimedia tools for pupils with func-tional disabilities;
• develop the Schoolnet (1) network atnational and European levels;
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• reward teachers who have made an out-standing contribution to the use of ICT ineducation.
Partners: the delegation responsible for theplanning and introduction of the Programmeincludes representatives from the Ministry ofEducation and Science, the Ministry ofIndustry, the National Agency for Education,the Foundation for the Development ofKnowledge and Skills, the InformationTechnology Commission, the SwedishAssociation of Local Authorities, the NationalUnion of Teachers and the Swedish NationalFederation of Teachers.Target groups: mainly compulsory and uppersecondary education, but also pre-primaryeducation and municipal adult education.Period and budget: initially 1999-2002, witha EUR 185 million (SEK 1.7 billion) budget.Progress to date: the programme is currentlybeing evaluated. Mid-term reports will beexamined during seminars. The aims of thisProgramme largely correspond to those ofe-Learning both in terms of access to comput-ers and multimedia tools and increasingfamiliarity with and knowledge about ICT(connecting schools to the Internet before theend of 2001, training half of all teachers inICT, providing pupils with computers so thatthere is one computer for every 9.6 pupils incompulsory education and one for every 5.2pupils in upper secondary education in1999, etc.).
b) Distum (Swedish Agency for DistanceEducation)
Aims and implementation: the main aim is toboost the development of ICT in distance edu-cation. The Agency is responsible for carry-ing out this task. In order to do so, it imple-ments concrete initiatives (funding and facili-ties for ICT distance education projects, pro-ject monitoring and evaluation, increasing
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(1) Its website is http://www.skolverket.se/skolnet
the enrolment capacity of universities whichmake optimal use of ICT in distance educa-tion). The Agency is also responsible for act-ing as a centre for helpful information on ICT-supported distance education (monitoringand promoting technical progress andresearch in this field).Target groups: higher education and ‘liberaladult education’.Period and budget: the Agency began workon 1 July 1999; 1999/2000 budget: EUR3.55 million (SEK 32.5 million) for universityand university college projects, EUR 4.1 mil-lion (SEK 37.5 million) for adult educationprojects; 2001 budget: EUR 1.75 million(SEK 16 million).
c) SSV (The National Schools for Adults, dis-tance learning)
Aims: A public authority offering distanceeducation that supplements the adult educa-tion offered by the municipalities through dis-tance education programmes and courses atupper secondary school level. Between 1998and 2000, SSV was involved in a govern-ment initiative aimed at developing new ICT-based methods in distance learning. From2001, the activities have continued within theSSV. A specific budget has been allocated forthese activities (see below).Partners: The SSV is a national institutiondirectly responsible to the Ministry ofEducation and Science.Target groups: municipalities and teachersfor facilitating distance education for adultsat upper secondary level.Period and budget: 2001 budget: EUR656 500 (SEK 6 million).
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England, Wales, Northern Ireland
Aims and strategies
Complementary general objectivesThe government’s policy statement Our infor-mation age: the Government’s vision, pub-lished in April 1998, embraced the followingkey areas:• transforming education – to harness new
technology so that all can gain the knowl-edge and skills they need for the informa-tion age;
• widening access – to ensure that the bene-fits of the information age are open to all,with no split between information ‘haves’and ‘have nots’;
• promoting competition and competitiveness –to help business harness change and pros-per, for the benefit of customers, jobs andthe wider economy;
• fostering quality – to ensure that the contentof new services matches and exceeds thebest available today;
• modernising government – to ensure thegovernment uses new technology to deliverbetter, more convenient services.
Specific objectivesIn November 1998, the government issuedNGfL Challenge: Open for Learning, Openfor Business, which announced how theNational Grid for Learning would be takenforward and adopted the following targetsfor ICT for 2002:• connecting all schools, colleges, universities
and libraries and as many community cen-tres as possible to the Grid;
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United Kingdom• ensuring that serving teachers feel confi-
dent and are competent to teach using ICTwithin the curriculum, and that librariansare similarly trained;
• enabling school leavers to have a goodunderstanding of ICT, with measures inplace for assessing their competence in it;
• ensuring that general administrative com-munications between education bodies andthe government and its agencies cease tobe largely paper-based;
• making Britain a centre for excellence inthe development of networked softwarecontent, and a world leader in the export oflearning services.
Main strategies• Connecting schools, colleges and universi-
ties to the Internet;• training teachers, headteachers and school
librarians;• stimulating the development of educational
content and software;• constructing public educational websites.
Sharing of responsibilities
The government pursues its aims for trans-forming education by setting out its vision,defining targets, and by allocating substan-tial additional funding for its specific priori-ties.
In England, the Department for Educationand Employment earmarks additionalresources for ICT in schools, and sets out theconditions under which these resources areallocated to local education authorities(LEAs) and schools. For example, for2001/2002, LEAs must commit themselves toestablishing, for all schools, minimum levelsof computer provision and Internet connectiv-ity, and access to ICT for management pur-
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poses. The bulk of the resources are devolvedto schools subject to their agreeing an appro-priate ICT development plan, allowing com-munity access to their ICT facilities out ofschool hours where practical, and havingtheir staff signed up with an approvedprovider of New Opportunities Fund training.
The National Assembly for Wales Trainingand Education Department (NATED) and theDepartment of Education (DE) in NorthernIreland also target additional funds accord-ing to local needs and priorities, as deter-mined by the National Assembly for Walesand the Northern Ireland Assembly.
There are also a number of national levelagencies with responsibilities for supportingthe government’s priorities. As the govern-ment’s lead agency for the use of ICT in education, the British EducationalCommunications & Technology Agency(BECTA) supports the government andnational agencies in the use and developmentof ICT to raise standards in education. TheNew Opportunities Fund (NOF) is a UK-widepublic body responsible for distributinggrants for health, education and environmentinitiatives as determined by the government.The Teacher Training Agency (TTA) is the gov-ernment agency responsible for quality assur-ance of New Opportunities Fund (NOF)training providers in England, and for needsassessment materials.
LEAs in England and Wales distribute theadditional funds to schools and provide sup-port in accordance with their own ICT devel-opment plans. LEAs in England may alsoform regional broadband consortia todevelop broadband network infrastructure.
In Northern Ireland, the EducationTechnology Strategic Management Group
(ET SMG), which includes representativesfrom the DE and the Education and LibraryBoards, has overall responsibility for educa-tion technology strategy, including managingthe quality assurance of NOF trainingproviders in Northern Ireland which is car-ried out by the DE inspectorate.
Schools are responsible for developing theirown ICT development plans and budgetingfor their implementation. Schools may choosewhether to spend the additional fundsdevolved to them on managed services, or onother ICT products. Schools are also respon-sible for deciding how and when their entitle-ment for NOF training is spent and for select-ing from approved training providers.
At further education level in England, respon-sibility for the development of the NationalLearning Network (NLN) was vested in theFurther Education Information and LearningTechnology Committee (FEILT) until the disso-lution of the Further Education FundingCouncil in March 2001. Implementation iscarried out by the Joint Information SystemsCommittee (JISC) which supervises the net-working and technical aspects, and a rangeof other organisations. These include BECTA,which manages a number of projects includ-ing aspects of staff development, materialsand management, and shares the delivery ofspecific programmes with the Learning andSkills Development Agency (formerly FEDA),the National Information and LearningTechnologies Association (NILTA) and otherfurther education sector organisations.
At further and higher education level, the UKfunding bodies (the Higher EducationFunding Council for England, the Learningand Skills Council, the Scottish HigherEducation Funding Council, the ScottishFurther Education Funding Council, the
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Higher Education Funding Council for Wales,the National Council for Education andTraining (Wales), and the Department ofHigher Education, Training and Employment(Northern Ireland)) have established a strate-gic advisory committee, the JISC, to providevision and leadership, and fund the networkinfrastructure and development projects tosupport the uptake of new technologies.
Public/private partnerships
The government’s aims for the National Gridfor Learning include stimulating change in theprivate sector, for example by developing themarket for educational software and content.This is being achieved by earmarking a pro-portion of the additional funds allocated toschools for content and software purchase.The government also aims to simplify andstandardise the purchasing and managementof ICT equipment and services for schools, byencouraging the development of competingmanaged ICT services. NGfL-ManagedServices are tested and certified by BECTA asNGfL-approved, and provide a combinationof local networking, hardware, software andcontent, training and support, often from anumber of different suppliers.
The National Lottery funded NewOpportunities Fund (NOF) training initiativealso operates in partnership with the privatesector. Providers of training in the use of ICTfor teachers and school librarians includepublic sector bodies such as LEAs and furtherand higher education institutions, as well asprivate-sector companies and consortia ofpublic and private-sector organisations. Allproviders are approved by a central qualityassurance system.
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The government has also made arrangementswith telecommunications companies to offerspecial tariffs for schools to connect to theInternet.
Major initiatives implemented
a) National Grid for Learning (NGfL)(United Kingdom)
This refers both to an educational portal, orgateway web site, and the programme forproviding schools and other institutions withappropriate infrastructure.Aims:• provide a national learning resource to
help raise educational standards, espe-cially to meet the government’s literacy andnumeracy targets and improve the qualityof life and Britain’s international competi-tiveness;
• deliver high quality educational softwareand services to teachers, pupils and otherlearners through public/private partner-ships;
• remove barriers to learning to ensure qual-ity of access for all, including those in iso-lated rural areas, those with special educa-tional needs or those in areas of urbandeprivation;
• provide an information and learningresource for teachers to improve their ICTskills.
Partners: local authorities (which receive anddistribute funding), schools, BECTA (which isresponsible for supporting the developmentof infrastructure and content), and privatesuppliers.Target groups: all learners and educationand lifelong learning services at all levels ofeducation. However, the initial focus is onteachers and schools.
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Period and budget: in 1998-2002, a budgetof EUR 1.138 billion (GBP 700 million); inSeptember 2000, the programme wasextended to 2004, with additional funding(for England) of EUR 1390.23 million(GBP 865 million). The following targets wereset for England for 2004:• one computer for every five pupils in sec-
ondary schools and one computer forevery eight pupils in primary schools;
• at least 75% of pupils aged 14 to be ableto master electronic information, using newtechnologies such as CD-ROMs and theInternet wisely in their studies.
Measures for promotion and implementation:• funding for computer hardware, software,
Internet connections, technical training andcurriculum resources for primary and sec-ondary schools;
• a mosaic of educationally valuable web-sites developed in accordance with qualitystandards;
• NGfL approved Managed Services for ICTservices;
• training of teachers in the use of ICT (inassociation with other initiatives).
b) National Learning Network (NLN) andassociated actions (England)
This refers to all measures announced by theSecretary of State for Education andEmployment in December 1998 in order todevelop ILT (Information and LearningTechnology) in further education in England.Aims:• give students and teachers access to teach-
ing and learning materials, informationresources, and new means of communica-tion through connecting institutions to theInternet and linking them in computer net-works;
• develop and increase the availability ofteaching and learning materials and con-tent;
• staff development to ensure competenceand confidence in the use of ICT.
Partners: The Further Education FundingCouncil for England (whose functions havenow been taken over by the Learning andSkills Council) through its Information andLearning Technology Committee (FEILT), theJISC, BECTA, the Further Education NationalTraining Organisation (FENTO), the Learningand Skills Development Agency, NationalInformation and Learning TechnologiesAssociation (NILTA), and the United KingdomEducation and Research NetworkingAssociation (Ukerna) which manages theJANET network for education and research.Target groups: further education institutionsin England.Period and budget: from December 1998 toDecember 2001, a budget of EUR 120.36million (GBP 74 million).Measures for promotion and implementation:• managing and developing the network
infrastructure and content;• supporting the development of learning
materials;• improving local network infrastructure
(LANS);• staff development.
c) Further Education Net (FE Net) andFurther Education in Action (Wales)
Aims:• upgrade connection to the Internet (FE
Net);• maximise the value of investment made in
equipping and networking colleges by aprogramme of staff development (FE Net inAction).
Partners: The Further Education FundingCouncil for Wales (whose functions have now
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been taken over by the National Council forEducation and Training for Wales), the JISC,and Ukerna which coordinates the access ofinstitutions to the JANET network in partner-ship with local support centres.Target groups: further education institutionsin Wales.Period and budget: the FE Net programme ofupgrades was completed in 1997 andextended in 2000. FE Net in Action is fundeduntil 2001. The budget for 1999/2000 for FENet was EUR 0.97 million (GBP 0.6 million)and for FE Net in Action was EUR 0.13 mil-lion (GBP 0.08 million).Measures for promotion and implementation:• upgrading Internet connections of institu-
tions;• staff development.
d) New Opportunities Fund Training(United Kingdom)
This supports the NGfL initiative.Aims: train teachers and librarians to use ICTeffectively in meeting their teaching objec-tives and enable them to reach the level ofexpertise in ICT that is required for newlyqualified teachers (since 1999 all newly qual-ified teachers in England and Wales havebeen required to have competence in ICT tomandatory standards).Partners: the New Opportunities Fund, theTeacher Training Agency, the NationalAssembly for Wales Training and EducationDepartment, the ET SMG and the DE(Northern Ireland), local authorities andschools.Target groups: serving teachers and schoollibrarians at primary and secondary levels.Period and budget: training must be com-pleted by 2003. EUR 369.65 million (GBP 230 million) is being distributed.Measures for promotion and implementation:organisation of training courses and the
development of materials for teachers toassess their own training needs.
e) Computers for Teachers (England andWales)
There are various initiatives in England:Computers for teachers, Laptops for head-teachers and a scheme within the Fast-trackprogramme. There is a Laptops for head-teachers programme in Wales.Aims: raise teachers’ confidence and compe-tence in ICT by enabling them to have per-sonal access to a computer. Partners: BECTA and independent suppliers.Target groups: Computers for Teachers isrestricted to teachers who attend NOF train-ing. Phase 1 was oversubscribed, and phase2 was restricted to teachers of mathematics to11-14 year olds; the DfEE is currently con-sulting on how best to target funds for furtherphases. Laptops for headteachers targetednewly appointed headteachers. All teachersselected for the Fast-track programme are eli-gible to receive a free laptop computer, whileevery secondary head and some primaryheads are eligible for Laptops for headteach-ers in Wales. See also the Northern IrelandConnecting Teachers project, part of itsEducation Technology Strategy.Period and budget: Computers for teachers:January 2000 to 2002, with a budget of EUR32.53 million (GBP 20 million) and a furtherEUR 80.36 million (GBP 50 million) to bemade available for future phases; Laptops forheadteachers: 1999-2000, with a budget ofEUR 4.88 million (GBP 3 million) in 1999.Measures for promotion and implementation:• Computers for teachers: subsidising 50% of
the purchase price of laptop or desktopcomputers for teachers, subject to an upperlimit of EUR 813 (GBP 500);
• Laptops for headteachers: supplying schoolheads with laptop computers;
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• Fast-track programme: supplying laptopcomputers with Internet access to selectedteachers.
f) City Learning Centres (England)
City Learning Centres, which are beingestablished as part of Excellence in Cities (aninitiative to improve the education of city chil-dren), use ICT to deliver extended educa-tional opportunities to pupils in targetedareas of major cities. While the facilities arebased at a host secondary school, the serviceprovided is shared between a network ofnamed partner schools.Aims:• improve access to, and use of, the latest
education technology by pupils and adults; • improve attainment levels through use of
that technology; • increase staying on rates; • reduce truancy figures; • improve employment prospects;• act as test beds for innovation and new
ways of teaching and learning.Partners: LEAs and schools.Target groups: schools in Excellence in Citiesareas, and also the wider community.Period and budget: EUR 160.72 million(GBP 100 million) to provide around 80 cen-tres by the end of 2001-2002.
g) Joint Information Systems Committee(JISC) (United Kingdom)
Aims: the JISC promotes the innovative appli-cation and use of information systems andinformation technology in higher educationand further education across the UK by pro-viding vision and leadership and funding thenetwork infrastructure, Communications andInformation Technology (C&IT) and informa-tion services, development projects and edu-cational materials. The JISC sets out its
detailed objectives in a five-year rolling strat-egy. The aims of the proposed strategy for2001-2005 are as follows:• build an on-line information environment
providing secure and convenient access toa comprehensive collection of scholarlyand educational material;
• help institutions create and maintain man-aged learning environments to support stu-dents;
• ensure the continued provision of, andwide access to, a world leading network tosupport research and education in the UK;
• provide a range of advisory and consul-tancy services in the use of ICT;
• promote innovation in the use of ICT tobenefit learning and teaching, researchand the management of institutions;
• improve staff and student skills in theexploitation of ICT, particularly in their useof the Internet;
• support the regional and communityagenda of institutions through theMetropolitan Area Networks and RegionalSupport Centres;
• provide a focus for collaboration betweenUK educational IT initiatives to help createa wider information-literate society;
• promote and facilitate international colla-boration in the exploitation of ICT.
Partners: the JISC is the strategic advisorycommittee working on behalf of the fundingbodies for higher and further educationthroughout the UK (the further educationfunding bodies became full funding partnersin 1999). The JISC also works in partnershipwith the Research Councils. It manages theoperation and development of the very highbandwidth JANET network through the not-for-profit company Ukerna, supported by anumber of JISC Regional Support Centres.Target groups: higher and further educationthroughout the UK.
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Period: the JISC strategy for 2001-2005 isexpected to be approved by the funding bod-ies shortly.Measures for promotion and implementation:improvements to infrastructure (such as thevery high bandwidth JANET network) andconnecting all institutions, making availablescholarly content and developing improvedstudent support systems.
h) ICT for Learning Strategy (Wales)
Aims:The overarching aims of the ICT for LearningStrategy are to:• raise standards of attainment in schools
across Wales;• improve ICT skills;• support lifelong learning;• help tackle social disadvantage by securing
universal access to ICT.In particular, this strategy seeks to:• extend the ICT infrastructure to support life-
long learning across Wales;• create a critical mass of ICT provision in
schools and extend its availability to schoolpupils both during and outside schoolhours;
• make ICT more readily available for peoplein disadvantaged communities;
• secure best value from the available funds;• maximise the educational value of equip-
ment purchased;• support the wider agenda for overcoming
social disadvantage.Partners: LEAs and schools.Target groups: all learners, both in schoolsand the wider community, particularly thesocially disadvantaged.Period and budget: the strategy covers thethree-year period 1999-2000 to 2001-2002. The budget is EUR 25.33 million (GBP 15.76 million).
Measures for promotion and implementation:• school learning centres (ICT resources pri-
marily for secondary schools);• ICT learning centres (providing access to
ICT for the wider community);• ICT for special needs;• extending access to ICT;• ICT enhancements for national cultural
bodies (enabling them to communicatetheir collections to a geographically dis-persed audience).
i) Education Technology Strategy(Northern Ireland)
A Strategy for Education Technology inNorthern Ireland was issued by theDepartment of Education Northern Ireland(DENI), now the DE, in October 1997.Aims:• equip all schools with a common infra-
structure of equipment and on-line educa-tional service through a managed service;
• provide training for teachers to enablethem to be personally competent in usingICT equipment and materials and also tointegrate ICT into both their teaching andthe learning of their pupils;
• provide schools with curriculum content,professional support and guidance on themost effective use of ICT in teaching andlearning and school administration andmanagement;
• enable pupils to live, learn and work in theinformation society.
Partners: the DE, the Education TechnologyStrategic Management Group, Educationand Library Boards, schools, BECTA and theNGfL (Classroom 2000), further educationinstitutions.Target groups: all levels of education andlifelong learning.
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Measures for promotion and implementation:• NINE Connect: an educational portal for
Northern Ireland includes web-based con-ferencing and e-mail, and the programmehas also provided schools with a commonplatform of ICT facilities and Internet con-nections;
• Connecting teachers: 1 300 laptops wereprovided for teachers in primary and sec-ondary schools in 1999, 4 500 were pro-vided in 2000, and 6 000 will be providedin 2001. The laptops are to be deployed byheadteachers and shared by teachers tomeet specified objectives;
• Classroom 2000: ICT-managed servicesprogramme;
• NOF training as in the rest of the UK.
j) Information Learning Technology (ILT) inFurther Education (Northern Ireland)
Aims: ensure that students are given theopportunity to develop ICT skills and compe-tences.Target groups: students and teachers in fur-ther education.Measures for promotion and implementation:• staff development – to ensure that all teach-
ers are competent in the use of ICT forteaching and learning;
• development of colleges’ internal networkinfrastructure to allow them to exploit fullythe potential of ICT for learning;
• curriculum development to ensure the con-tinued development of ICT-based curricu-lum material;
• networking – to create a high-bandwidthfurther and higher education networkwhich will facilitate partnership betweenthe sectors.
k) e-University
Aims: deliver high quality higher educationlearning over the Internet. Any UK higher
education institution will be able to delivercourses and student services through the e-University, provided they meet quality andstandards thresholds.Partners: higher education funding bodiesworking through the e-University steeringgroup, institutions and private partners.Target groups: higher education.Period and budget: planned to start in 2002.The government has provided EUR 100.85(GBP 62 million) over three years (2002-2004) for the project.
Scotland
Aims and strategies
Complementary general objectives• Work for the development of the informa-
tion society;• support and/or alter teaching and learning
processes and significantly increase educa-tional levels;
• prepare learners for a society based onlifelong learning.
Specific objectives• Equip students with appropriate experience
and skills in ICT to assist their integrationand advancement in the world of work;
• enable researchers to pursue their activitieson a world-wide basis.
Main strategies• Teacher training:
Teachers beginning initial training from1999 onwards should reach a rudimentarylevel in ICT. In this respect, major newguidelines regarding ICT have been for-warded to training institutes. Before 2002,
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in-service teachers should have acquiredthe ability to use ICT in their teaching.
Various programmes in higher educationare concerned with teacher training. In fur-ther education, training teachers in the useof ICT in teaching and learning is part ofthe strategy adopted by the Scottish FurtherEducation Funding Council (SFEFC).
• Provision of facilities and Internet connec-tions for schools, and development of mul-timedia services and resources:
Before 2002, primary, secondary andhigher institutions and, as far as possible,community centres will be connected to theInternet, and pupils, students and teacherswill have their own electronic addresses.
Before 2002, the United Kingdom will behighly skilled in the production of educa-tional software.
The Joint Information Systems Committee(JISC) is developing the SuperJANET net-work and a wide range of electronic serv-ices and resources which can be accessedby higher and further education institu-tions. The committee is also working on net-work security and authenticity. TheMetropolitan Area Networks (MANs) pro-vide each higher education institution witha high-bandwidth connection, as well as arange of educational courses.
• Training of pupils and students:
Before 2002, pupils should acquire soundICT skills as defined in educational curricula(the Higher Still Core Skills framework).
Sharing of responsibilities
The Scottish government determines generalpolicy in education.
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The role of Learning and Teaching Scotland (1)consists in advising Scottish ministries and theinstitutions responsible for ICT courses andapplications in education, and in supplying awide range of innovative products and serv-ices.
The local authorities and schools are respon-sible for matters concerned with educationand for the purchase and maintenance ofsoftware and hardware.
Scottish further education institutions awardqualifications certified by the ScottishQualifications Authority which lays down thecontent and aims of each course.
The Scottish Further Education FundingCouncil (SFEFC) has contracted with HerMajesty’s Inspectors of Schools to conductquality assurance of educational provision infurther education and, in particular, theestablishment of effective forms of teachingand learning, including the use of ICT. Whilethe SFEFC finances these institutions, theythemselves are responsible for the distributionof funding, including money for the purchaseof computer equipment and software.Additional funds have been allocated in linewith the chosen strategy for ICT on the basisof proposals from the institutions concerned.
Higher education institutions determine theirown aims, qualifications and teaching meth-
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(1) Learning and Teaching Scotland is a body which wasformed on 1 July 2000 from the amalgamation of theScottish Council for Educational Technology (SCET)and Scottish Consultative Council Curriculum (ScottishCCC). It is working in partnership with others todevelop the curriculum for pupils aged between 3 and18 and to promote creative and effective use of ICT ineducation and in learning throughout life. It advisesScottish ministries and other institutions on the use ofICT in learning, and is developing and providing arange of innovative products and services which aresupportive of teaching and learning at all stages.
ods. The Scottish Higher Education FundingCouncil (SHEFC) has contracted with theQuality Assurance Agency to conduct qualityassurance of educational provision in highereducation (definition of the standardsrequired for each subject and, more gener-ally, the adjustment of funding to match thoserequirements).
The SHEFC finances higher education institu-tions which, however, are also responsible forthe distribution of the resources concerned.The SHEFC assists with the acquisition of soft-ware and on-line services at reduced prices
Public/private partnerships
In the case of higher and further education,agreements have been reached with bodiessuch as the Joint Information SystemsCommittee (JISC) and producers of computerequipment and software. Other initiatives,such as SuperJANET 4, involve the privatesector.
A small number of further education institu-tions have turned to private financial con-cerns in order to build new campuses withICT facilities.
Major initiatives implemented
a) Modernisation of schools: implementingthe National Grid for Learning inScotland
Aims: modernisation of schools in terms ofcomputer facilities, the establishment of com-puter networks and connection to the Internet(one modern computer will be available for7.5 pupils on average in primary education
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and 5.1 pupils in secondary education andall schools will be connected to the Internet),and the appropriate use of ICT as a resourcefor teaching and learning. Partners: local authorities, primary and sec-ondary schools.Target groups: primary and secondaryschools, teachers.Period and budget: April 1999 to March2002: EUR 127.1 million (GBP 80 million).Measures for promotion and implementation:• increasing the number of modern computers
(under 4 years old);• increasing the number of networked com-
puters;• extending and improving Internet access;• enlarging and improving local and more
extensive networks: establishment of linkswith public libraries and community cen-tres;
• ensuring technical security and manage-ment of hardware and software;
• support to teachers so that they make useof ICT in their teaching;
• provision of ICT tools for teaching, learningand skills development of staff in educa-tion.
b) Further Education: implementing theNational Grid for Learning in Scotland
Aims: exploiting the potential of ICT forteaching and learning.Partners: the SFEFC.Target groups: further education.Period and budget: a three-year pro-gramme: EUR 46.1 (GBP 29 million).Measures for promotion and implementation:development of the network, improving infra-structure and facilities, teacher training,devising new ICT-based content for teachingand learning, and encouraging schools topropose strategies for incorporation of ICT.
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c) New Opportunities Fund ICT TrainingProgramme for Teachers and SchoolLibrarians
Aims: train teachers and school librarians touse ICT effectively.Partners: programme established by theNew Opportunities Fund, a National Lotterydistribution body.Target groups: all in-service teachers andschool libraries.Period and budget: 1999-2002: EUR 36.5million (GBP 23 million).d) Research and development
Aims: develop new ICT-linked educationalcontent and services.Partners: the Scottish government in partner-ship with Learning and Teaching Scotland.Target groups: primary and secondary edu-cation.Budget: EUR 3.17 million a year (GBP 2 mil-lion/year).Measures for promotion and implementation:financing of a team working at Learning andTeaching Scotland and support for the devel-opment of educational content and servicesfor the Internet.
e) SuperJANET 4
Aims: improving the national network madeup of higher and further education institutions
offering on-line resources and services whichwill operate at 2.5 gigabytes a second fromMarch 2001.Partners: the JISC.Target groups: further and higher education.
f) Use of Metropolitan-Area-NetworksInitiative (UMI)
Aims: exploiting the new possibilities offeredby the new Metropolitan Area broadbandnetworks.Partners: the SHEFC and universities.Target groups: higher education.Measures for promotion and implementation:organisation of projects.
g) SHEFC Communication & InformationTechnology Programme
Aims: intensifying the use of electronic toolsfor teaching/learning and for developing theICT skills of teaching staff. This programme isa follow-up to the UMI programme.Partners: the SHEFC and universities.Target groups: higher education.Measures for promotion and implementation:organisation of two pilot projects (the ScottishMiddleware Project (ScotMid) and theStudent-Centric Web-based Educational &Information Management System(SCWEIMS)) aimed at developing universityintranet networks.
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Aims and strategies
Aims• Adapt teacher education and learning
methods to ICT;• enhance the infrastructure for e-Learning;• extend content and resources for learning
on the Internet.
Main strategiesa) Teacher training:• offering training in ICT to teachers at all
school levels in a way that is tailored totheir needs and educationally sound;
• placing greater emphasis on training in ICTin initial teacher training (for compulsoryand upper secondary education); extend-ing similar provision to in-service teachertraining; ICT courses for teachers in highereducation, which are geared to the needsof different subject areas;
• intensification of specialised education inthis area in liaison with the ICT industrialsector (higher education);
• training of trainers: training of teacherswho then help their colleagues (compulsoryand upper secondary education); increas-ing the number of trainers for future teach-ers.
b) Producing and transmitting educationalcontent and software on the Internet:
• Internet transmission of educational contentand software classified in accordance withofficial standards, to schools and othereducational institutions;
• placing library resources on line for educa-tional purposes;
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Iceland• improving on-line services (teaching and
learning content, databases) that may beeasily accessed by teachers and students;
• adapting on-line educational content to therequirements of curricula and providinginformation on the quality of what is trans-mitted (compulsory and upper secondaryeducation).
c) Internet connections and electronic net-working:
• establishment of wireless networks forportable computers or other mobile devices(upper secondary and higher education);
• broadband connection (at least 100 mb) tothe Internet (upper secondary and highereducation),
• encouraging the municipalities responsiblefor compulsory education to improve exist-ing networks for schools and other localinstitutions, and provide for high speed net-works;
• introduction of a high speed research net-work linking higher education and industryresearch institutions;
• provision of all schools with a database-driven information system and a websitecontaining information on school activities.
Sharing of responsibilities
Pre-schools and compulsory schools comeunder the municipalities. Larger municipali-ties run special school offices which areresponsible, among other things, for develop-ing ICT in schools and reaching agreementswith suppliers for the purchase of equipmentand software. The purchase of hardware andsoftware, as well as their maintenance, arethe joint responsibility of the schools and themunicipalities.
Upper secondary schools and universitiesare also responsible for the purchase of hard-
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ware and software and for maintenance.However, the Ministry of Education, Scienceand Culture awards grants for the purchaseof equipment for upper secondary schoolsand negotiates agreements with suppliers onbehalf of the entire education system (specialoffers for schools and students).
Public/private partnerships
The Ministry of Education, Science andCulture has reached an agreement withMicrosoft. Schools are offered a special pricefor the leasing or purchasing of Microsoftsoftware. The Ministry is responsible forgathering requests from municipalities andschools and is in turn guaranteed the bestpossible price for the software.
An agreement also exists between theMinistry of Education, Science and Cultureand Icelandic Telecom regarding support forpilot schools in ICT. Icelandic Telecom sup-plies schools with telecommunications serv-ices and technical support and also con-tributes to the development of software andeducational content. The Ministry, for its part,is responsible for running the project, but theIcelandic Telecom representative is a memberof the steering committee.
With the consent of the Ministry, pilot schoolsat upper secondary level have formed a part-nership with IBM Denmark and the IBM rep-resentative in Iceland for the acquisition ofportable computers and the establishment ofwireless networks at special prices. IBM sup-plies schools with wireless senders free ofcharge while the schools, in turn, lease IBMportable computers for students and teachers.
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Major initiatives implemented
a) Four teacher training projects
• Aims of the 1st project: inclusion of thestudy of ICT in training organisations;Target groups: teachers working in com-pulsory education.
• Aims of the 2nd project: provide practicalICT training for teachers in an upper sec-ondary pilot school that specialises in ICT.Target groups: teachers in upper second-ary education.
• Aims of the 3rd project: training studentsfrom a small remote town.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: enrolment of the students in an uppersecondary school in another town wherethe municipal authorities provide them witha combination of distance learning andlocal study facilities, including assistancefrom local teachers with their on-line learn-ing.
• Aims of the 4th project: cooperationbetween two schools in remote areas toprovide teaching via video-conferencing.
b) New resource library system
Aims: provide access for everyone, irrespec-tive of the place of residence, to all libraryresources and educational materials.Partners: government and private partners.Target groups: pupils, teachers and otherusers at all levels.Measures for promotion and implementation:• integration of libraries (in schools provid-
ing compulsory and upper secondary edu-cation and in universities, as well as spe-cialised and public libraries) into a singlecommon library system operated via theInternet;
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• use of the system to provide a gateway toall educational materials that will be basedon metadata tagging and linked to thenational curriculum;
• agreements with international publishersand other providers of on-line resources toarrange free Internet access for all citizensthrough a common fee paid by the govern-ment,
• a special action programme has been initi-ated to provide compulsory and upper sec-ondary schools with multimedia educa-tional content.
c) Technology and communications
• Aims: virtual education and training.Partners: 3 pilot schools.Target groups: pupils and teachers inupper secondary education.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: installation, in the three schools, of aportable computer wireless network whichstudents and teachers use for on-line learn-ing. Teachers receive special training inusing the computers for teaching purposes.
• Aims of the 1st pilot project: implementa-tion, by one municipality, of a programmefor use of the computers in teaching.
Target groups: teachers in compulsoryeducation.
Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: presence of an ICT specialist teacherwho assists the others in using the portablecomputers for teaching purposes.
• Aims of the 2nd pilot project: implementa-tion by the city of Reykjavik of a pro-gramme to link up all schools providingcompulsory education, by means of a highbandwidth (1 Gb) connection.
• Aims of the 3rd pilot project: connect allupper secondary schools, universities andregional continuing education centres intoa distance education network. A highbandwidth connection will be establishedbetween them to provide for video-confer-encing and the exchange of educationalmaterial; a temporary video-conferencingbridge will enable small and high band-width institutions to communicate in themeantime.
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Aims and strategies
General aimsThe general aims of bringing ICT into theeducation system are in line with the aims ofschooling in Liechtenstein. ICT is meant to beused in education for the following purposes:• to develop interest in lifelong learning and
intellectual curiosity;• to promote individual learning skills.
Specific aimTo make it easier to find employment andenhance professional activity, through thesolid grounding in ICT built up during com-pulsory secondary education.
Main strategies• Setting up of a ‘Computer Science at
School’ (1) department in the governmentschool administration service at the start of2000, to deal with educational and techni-cal aspects of introducing ICT into schools;
• an integrated approach in which equalimportance is attached to teacher training,hardware and software, and support andmaintenance:– teacher training: centrally organised and
further developed by the ‘ComputerScience at School’ department in liaisonwith local administrators/teachers; aproposal for four levels of training, inaccordance with teacher requirements;
– investment in hardware and software:fixing by the government of provisional
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Liechtensteintargets corresponding to the country’sneeds (one computer for four pupils, andone computer for two teachers; steadilydeveloped intranet and Internet connec-tions up to 2001; gradual transfer ofadministrative tasks, such as schooladministration, in-service teacher train-ing, etc., to the Internet);
– support and maintenance: hourly reduc-tions in workload for each administra-tor/teacher for every 10 computersinstalled; strengthening the ‘ComputerScience at School’ department with anadditional technician for every consign-ment of 250 computers (three techniciansare thus being designated to primaryand secondary schools by June 2001);installation of a total 1 500 computers inschools, with one third of this number(including back-up facilities) in second-ary schools from 2000 to 2002 and pri-mary school provision completed by2003; 1.5% of the state budget for edu-cation will be earmarked for these invest-ments from 2002 onwards.
Sharing of responsibilities
The government is responsible for all schoollegislation and curricular content and forinvestment in secondary schools. Planning,budgeting and implementation of decisions inthese areas are carried out by its schooladministration service and, more particularly,the ‘Computer Science at School’ departmentin the case of ICT.
The municipalities are responsible for invest-ment in primary education and are consultedon the content of draft decisions.
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(1) See the website: http://www.schulnetz.li
Public/private partnerships
Projects such as the development of anintranet (1997/98), the early learning ofEnglish (1996-2000), Internet access(2000/2001) and the organisation of Internetprizes (2001) have led to the establishment ofpublic/private partnerships and sponsoring.No specific partnership or agreement existswith providers and/or developers.
Major practical initiatives
a) Facilities
Aims: ensure the establishment of a highlyeffective multi-purpose network forLiechtenstein schools for the sound operationof central intranet and Internet educationalservices, and improve administrative cooper-ation in schools and between schools and theschool administration service. SinceNovember 2000, all secondary schools havehad access to the high capacity network(from 100 Mb to 1 Gb), and the same shouldapply to primary schools by August 2001.Target groups: teachers and pupils at all lev-els from pre-primary to upper secondaryeducation inclusive.Progress to date: the test phase is almostcomplete in pre-primary schools, so theimpact of using ICT at this level should bemeasurable.Measures for promotion and implementation:• linking all schools via optical fibre cables
(all have had free Internet access since1997 and teachers and pupils can alreadyhave e-mail addresses);
• organise special software days, discussionsand an Internet prize for pupils, so that thepotential of ICT can be constantlyenhanced.
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3 The amounts of multimedia materials madeavailable to teachers and pupils, along withthe investment earmarked for network infra-structure, are fully consistent with the objec-tives of the eLearning initiative.
b) Training
Aims: as the use of computers is already verywell established at all levels of schooling andis encouraging new forms of teaching, effortswill be focused on (initial and in-service)teacher training in ICT.Target groups: trainee teachers and teachersat all levels.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: four levels have been identified in accor-dance with the training needs of teachers, asfollows: 1) those who need computers to pre-pare their lessons; 2) those who need com-puters to give their lessons; 3) teachers ofcomputer science; 4) teachers who areexceptionally knowledgeable about compu-ters and use them constantly.These measures correspond to Objective 2 ofthe eLearning initiative (efforts to train at alllevels).
c) Development of multimedia services andcontent
Aims: develop multimedia services and con-tent.Measures for promotion and implementation:• transmit content over school Internet web
sites, primarily for teachers and pupils but,in certain cases, for parents also;
• provision of a vocational guidance serviceso that young people have permanentaccess to the most recent information aboutnational learning opportunities and the lat-est professional opportunities.
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These measures correspond to Objective 3 ofthe eLearning initiative (development of highquality multimedia services and content).
d) Opening schools to a wide range of people
Aims: ensure that knowledge reaches and isacquired by a wide range of people.
Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: opening schools to people and offeringthem classes and/or classrooms. These meas-ures correspond to Objective 4 of theeLearning initiative (the development of cen-tres for acquiring knowledge and linkingthem in computer networks).
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Aims and strategies
General aims• Ensure quality of opportunity in the use of
ICT in a context in which globalisation andthe surge in the development of new tech-nologies are major issues;
• encourage lifelong learning under circum-stances in which the capacity to learn andflexibility of learning methods are recog-nised on the labour market.
Specific aims• Improve the organisation of school activity
and enhance skills and the potential contri-bution of teaching, through the develop-ment and use of ICT at all levels of educa-tion.Pupils in compulsory education shouldacquire a sound knowledge of ICT and theinformation society and develop a positiveattitude towards them. They should becapable of using electronic equipment andmedia critically and constructively, as toolsfor doing their schoolwork.Teaching about ICT is an integral part ofupper secondary education. It is of specialimportance in vocational courses.The twofold aims of higher education are totrain students in ICT in line with the expec-tations of the world of work, the educationsystem and society in general, and to pro-vide them with knowledge that is constantlyupdated and includes new concepts, meth-ods and technologies.The aim of the research and developmentsector is to stimulate innovation, particu-larly as regards the use of ICT in education.
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Norway• Ensure equality of opportunity in securing
access to ICT and the development of skillsin this field, and give special considerationto disadvantaged groups in order toimprove their capacity for learning andeconomic and social integration.
• Boost national and international coopera-tion.
• Provide flexible education and training inaccordance with the needs of users.
(Source: Action Plan: ICT in education in Norway 2000-2002).
Main strategies• Developing the skills of teachers;• offering primary and secondary schools
‘broadband’ access at competitive prices;• developing infrastructure and, in particular,
the establishment of a national learningnetwork (with a common gateway websitefor the transmission of electronic resourcesand services, which is linked to foreigninstitutions);
• curricular integration of ICT (for example,pupils at grade 5 should be capable ofword processing and writing their owntexts and, in grade 8 mathematics, theyshould be proficient with spreadsheets andgenerally familiar with ICT). This appliesespecially to upper secondary vocationalcurricula, as well as higher education, inwhich ICT will be an integral part of anextensive range of subject areas;
• measures for disadvantaged pupils;• development of content in relation to teach-
ing materials, new examination andassessment methods and learningresources;
• research and development: innovativestudies and projects, and measures includ-ing, in particular, the Tomorrow’s Schoolproject (involving the development of sce-narios for the use of ICT in education andits consequences if used).
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Sharing of responsibilities
At central level, the Ministry of Education,Research and Church Affairs is responsiblefor national education policy, action plans,legal matters and national curricula in pri-mary and secondary education. TheNorwegian Board of Education is responsi-ble for the sale and distribution of software,user information regarding software devel-oped under the aegis of the Ministry, devel-opment and refinement of educational soft-ware, infrastructure and Internet access,international cooperation in the area of ICT,electronic teaching resources and the devel-opment of networks (the School Network andan Internet-based advisory network).
The locally-based National EducationOffices are responsible for guidance andinformation for the local authorities (munici-palities and counties), for coordination ofactivities between the various levels of educa-tion, coordination of local development pro-jects, inspections and status assessments.
The state-run resource centres for specialneeds education have important responsibil-ities regarding software and curricula in edu-cation of this kind.
The local authorities, which own primaryand secondary schools, are responsible forpurchasing and administering school equip-ment and software, the employment of staffresponsible for ICT and for skills develop-ment.
In higher education, each institution (univer-sity or university college) determines its owncurriculum, except in the case of some voca-tional training programmes (for example, inthe fields of teacher training, healthcare andengineering), and is responsible for mattersrelating to software and hardware.
2 Public/private partnerships
To develop digital study material, theNorwegian Board of Education works incooperation with publishers and other privatepartners.
To supply schools with second-hand comput-ers from the private sector, the NorwegianBoard of Education has entered into agree-ments with private partners. The 8 000-10 000 computers required under thescheme in 1999 had the following minimumconfiguration enabling them to be used forthe majority of school tasks and projects:Pentium 90/100, 16 MB RAM, a 500 MBhard disk, keyboard, mouse, screen, networkinterface card and SVGA video card. In2000, agreements were reached withAlternativ Data (the scheme operator) andMicrosoft (the supplier). The development ofnetworks has also given rise to partnerships.
Uninett, the Norwegian academic networkfor research and education, offers networkservices and resources resulting in interna-tional communication and exchange of infor-mation.
The Norgeuniversitetet project (NorwegianUniversity Network for Lifelong Learning), ini-tiated by the Norwegian Council for HigherEducation and the social partners, bringstogether private sector partners and individu-als, with higher education institutions. AnInternet database will include all continuingeducation courses at tertiary level. A ‘marketplace’ for the exchange of information, inwhich industry can indicate its skills require-ments and higher education institutions pro-vide suitable courses based largely on e-Learning, is also being developed.
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The Network University (NVU) currently con-sists of Norwegian institutions of higher edu-cation which provide university and collegeeducation on the Internet. It seeks to becomethe major Internet provider of Norwegianhigher education for adults, with a view tofacilitating lifelong learning in the workplace.
Major initiatives implemented
a) Teacher training – ICT in education
Aims: train teachers to use ICT as a tool forteaching.Partners: the Norwegian Board of Educationand the municipalities (which carry out thework at local level).Target groups: teachers in compulsory edu-cation.Period and budget: four years from 2000 to2003, with an annual budget ofEUR 5.54 million (NOK 45 million) for localauthorities, and EUR 3.69 million (NOK 30million) in 2001 for central and regional sup-port measures.Measures for promotion and implementation:• implementation of a national in-service
training scheme to develop the competenceof teachers in the pedagogical use of ICT;
• emphasis on ICT in initial teacher trainingwill be maintained in 2001: compulsoryactivities will be organised to develop theexperience acquired with ICT and use it asa tool for teaching.
b) The Innovation in Learning, Organisationand Technology pilot project
Aims: use the potential of ICT from the teach-ing and organisational standpoint. Partners: The Research and CompetenceNetwork for IT in Education (ITU) and localteacher training colleges are responsible for
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evaluation and guidance; the NorwegianBoard of Education and the national educa-tion offices at local (county) level handlemanagement of the project.Target groups: compulsory and upper sec-ondary schools in 9 out of 19 counties.Period and budget: 3 years from 1999, withan annual budget of EUR 1.85 million(NOK 15 million).
c) ICT in multicultural schools in large cities
Aims: explore the potential of ICT forresponding to the challenges associated withmulticultural schools, and stimulating andmotivating their pupils.Partners: the ITU is in charge of evaluationand guidance. The municipality of Oslo is themanager of the project in close cooperationwith the Norwegian Board of Education.Target groups: multicultural schools.Period and budget: 3 years from 2001, witha total budget of EUR 2.46 million(NOK 20 million).
d) ICT in teacher training
Aims: train future teachers to use ICT in theirprofession.Partners: teacher colleges and the ITU.Target groups: trainee teachers.Period and budget: 2000-2003, with aEUR 3.69 million (NOK 30 million) annualbudget.Measures for promotion and implementation:• inclusion of ICT in educational and teach-
ing programmes;• increased use of ICT-based methods in the
training of future teachers.
e) The national learning net
Aims: provide the basis for a national infra-structure for learning and act as a common
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gateway to Norwegian education, whichmay also serve as a tool for internationalcooperation.Period: the project is beginning in 2001.Measures for promotion and implementation:• launching of a pilot project in the first half
of 2001;• providing varied resources and services;• establishing meeting places.
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Aims and strategies
General aimDevelop activities to support the changes inBulgarian education, thus preparing theyoung generation for the information society.
Main strategies• Development of study content, teaching
methods and teaching materials, with ref-erence to state educational requirements inthe field of ICT;
• provision of schools with hardware, soft-ware and Internet access;
• introduction of ICT into the study process, incompliance with new state educationalrequirements, and the development of spe-cial educational software for use in theteaching of other subjects;
• development of partnerships for financingand project development;
• establishment of resource centres;• initial and in-service training of teachers
and policy-makers in accordance with thepolicy for bringing ICT into education;
• development of the legal basis for incorpo-rating ICT into education;
• development of programmes for the indi-vidual training of pupils;
• development of a system for national-levelmonitoring of the incorporation of ICT intoeducation;
• development of a strategy for cooperationwith the public sector while implementingnational policy for ICT in education.
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Bulgaria Sharing of responsibilities
At central level, the Ministry of Education andScience develops the national strategy as wellas the programme for its implementation. TheMinistry is also in charge of the developmentof state education requirements in ICT, defin-ing the content of studies and specification forequipment and facilities. Financial assistancecomes from the state budget.
At local level, the authorities concerned areresponsible for financing programme imple-mentation from their local budgets.
The schools are the real players in pro-gramme implementation. They are alsoencouraged to raise additional funds.
Public/private partnerships
The most noteworthy national initiatives andprojects already implemented are the follow-ing: the Open Society FoundationProgramme I*EARN for international commu-nications, which involved over 70 secondaryschools; the IBM education initiative forBulgaria, a joint initiative on the part of IBM-Europe, the Bulgarian Ministry of Educationand Science and the Open SocietyFoundation for ICT implementation in differ-ent subjects; the widely-used British Councilprogrammes Train the trainer and Cross-cul-tural studies; and the ViFax Programme fordistance learning in French, using satelliteconnection and the Internet.
Major initiatives implemented
Participation, prior to 1999, in projectsaimed at introducing ICT into education.
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Progress to date: acquisition of initial know-ledge and skills in the use of personal com-puters.
Development of the Inkonet programme toestablish the information society at nationallevel. Programme implementation involvesthe provision of primary, basic and second-ary schools with hardware, software andrelated facilities, the development of ICTtraining standards, and ongoing in-serviceteacher training.
Progress to date: the development, from Juneto December 1999, of state educationrequirements for ICT, thus developing thelegal basis for teaching it as a subject andusing it in schools: from 2000 to mid-2001,the provision of hardware and software for10% of primary schools, as well as 10% ofbasic and upper secondary schools, andschools for pupils with special educationalneeds.
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Aims and strategies
General aimInclusion of ICT in the education system todevelop a real information society.
Specific aims• Enable teachers (in basic and upper sec-
ondary education) and documentaryresearch librarians to acquire a soundgrasp of the fundamentals of ICT and use itconstructively in their work;
• enable schools providing basic and uppersecondary education, as well as libraries,to become information centres with ICTfacilities for everyone;
• train 75% of teachers in upper secondaryeducation to use ICT as a teaching resourcebefore the end of 2005;
• ensure a sound grasp of the rudiments ofICT, in basic and upper secondary educa-tion, before the end of 2005 (1);
• enable upper secondary schools to con-tribute to the training of citizens in ICTbefore 2005 for the purpose of lifelonglearning;
• enable pupils in upper secondary educa-tion to acquire a sound understanding ofthe following: use of ICT to answer ques-tions/solve problems; awareness of the lim-its of ICT; detection of simple malfunction-ing in the hardware system or software; use
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Czech Republicof algorithms; appropriate use of pro-gramme applications; extensive use of theInternet; participation in teleconferencesand other communication forums, team-work on local, national and internationalprojects; practical use of the World WideWeb (production and transfer of complexmultimedia documents).
Main strategies• Provision of schools and libraries with com-
puters connected to the Internet;• presence of an ICT coordinator in each
school to help teachers and pupils use thetechnology as a resource for teaching andlearning;
• a shift in emphasis in teacher training tomove from a methodology concerned withthe transmission of information to one con-cerned with problem-solving, greateremphasis on the use of ICT, increasedcooperation between teachers, inclusion ofICT in teaching on any subject or issue, andincreased use of ICT to teach handicappedpupils;
• introduction of programmes for lifelonglearning;
• introduction of programmes to encourageteachers, researchers and manufacturers todiscover efficient ways of using ICT;
• analysis and assessment of ICT policy.(Source: Koncepce státní informacní politiky vevzdelávání (the Conception of the State InformationPolicy in Education) and Realizace státní informacnípolitiky ve vzdelávání (the Implementation of the StateInformation Policy in Education)).
Sharing of responsibilities
The Ministry of Education stipulates the edu-cational standards to which various pro-grammes may be prepared subject to minis-terial approval. Schools are responsible for
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(1) Basic ICT skills are defined as ability to do the follow-ing; use a computer and its peripherals as a tool;understand structure and text and produce simplemultimedia documents; use a computer purposively asone wishes; extract and sort information needed forproblem-solving.
their educational content and the teachingmethods used.
The Ministry of Education is the main sourceof funding for projects to carry out the aimsenumerated above. This policy is also partlyfinanced by the regional and local authorities.
The Ministry of Education is responsible forthe purchase and maintenance of hardwareand basic software for all levels of education.The purchase of specialised software isundertaken at local level or on the initiativeof school management.
Public/private partnerships
The official documents (see 1) call for theselection of a general contractor and a gen-eral auditor, particularly in the case of the‘Infrastructure’ project (see 4 (c) below). Theformer supplies schools with technologiesand services. The latter ensures that schoolsand the contractor comply with the agree-ments and methodology set out in the‘Infrastructure’ project.
Major initiatives implemented
The programmes launched to carry out theplanned objectives have resulted in threeprojects.
a) Information literacy
Aims: train teachers, documentary researchlibrarians and citizens in the use of ICT.Partners: Coordination Centre of the Ministryof Education, Ceská informatická spole cnost(Czech Information Society).
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Target groups: teachers, documentaryresearch librarians, citizens in general.Period and budget: 2001-2005, with a totalbudget of EUR 53.82 million (CZK 1.822 bil-lion).Progress to date: in 2001, some 15% ofteachers were familiar with the rudiments ofICT and 3% had reached an advanced level.Measures for promotion and implementation:• training 75% of teachers to acquire basic
familiarity with ICT;• training 25% of teachers to an advanced
level in ICT;• training ICT coordinators;• offering an adequate number of courses in
different subjects;• calling on schools to use ICT and contribute
to the training of citizens.
b) Educational software and informationsources
Aims:• incorporate ICT into teaching and school
activity and exploit the fresh potentialoffered by computer network activity inschools;
• encourage research and the use of newlearning and working methods in this infor-mation environment;
• promote experience, products and toolsthat have proved successful and be respon-sive to areas of international experience.
Partners: Coordination Centre of the Ministryof Education and an expert council responsi-ble for internal supervision and evaluation.Period and budget: 2001-2005, with a totalbudget of EUR 23.49 million (CZK 795 mil-lion).Measures for promotion and implementation:establishment of an educational gateway,pilot projects, on-line distance education andbroader access to information resources.
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c) Infrastructure
Aims:• provide schools with ICT;• ensure that all teachers and 8% of pupils
can access the corresponding services.Period and budget: 2001-2005, with atotal budget of EUR 137.69 million(CZK 4.660 billion).
Partners: Coordination Centre of the Ministryof Education, the general contractor and thegeneral auditor.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: preparation of a set of regulations forICT suppliers to follow and initiation of pilotprojects.
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Aims and strategies
General aimAims are entirely consistent with the objec-tives of the European ‘eEurope – InformationSociety for All’ initiative. Incorporating ICTinto education systems will be conducive tothe emergence of a knowledge and learningsociety, and ensure that the country becomesa competitive member of the global informa-tion society. (Source: Tiger Leap Programmes Development Plan, TigerLeap +).
Specific aims• Enable pupils and teachers to acquire ICT
knowledge and skills, as a result of clearlydefined and organised special curricula.Pupils should acquire basic skills in ICT. Asa result of sound training, teachers shouldacquire ICT skills and the methodologicalskills for basic education. They should beable to apply this knowledge to their dailyteaching activity. Teachers and schoolheads should be fully aware of the role ofICT in the learning process, school man-agement and school communications.
• Encourage access to information and ICT.Pupils should be able to access informa-tion, and have access outside the class-room to computers connected to theInternet. Teachers should be able to haveaccess to information and ICT facilities (typ-ical scenarios and approaches for work invarious subject areas, time and resources,e-mail addresses). Parents and the generalpublic should be able to access the Internetto obtain up-to-date information abouteducation and school activity.
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Estonia(Source: Tiger Leap Programmes Development Plan, TigerLeap +).
Strategies• ICT skills development for pupils, teachers
and educational administrators, by meansof regularly updated programmes andadvanced training courses;
• the development of virtual learning throughthe production of electronic learning meth-ods, educational software in Estonian, sup-port for virtual collaboration among teach-ers, the establishment of virtual secondaryeducation and legislation on virtual learning.
• support for the development of infrastruc-ture: increased provision of schools withhardware and software; good qualityInternet connections and technical facilitiesin schools;
• increased collaboration between the govern-ment, local authorities, schools and parents.
(Source: Tiger Leap Programmes Development Plan, TigerLeap +).
Sharing of responsibilities
At central level, the Ministry of Educationfinances and coordinates the purchase ofhardware with support from the Tiger LeapFoundation which redistributes the money toschools and local authorities. The Ministryand the Foundation are responsible for eval-uating and purchasing software. In-serviceteacher training is also financed by theMinistry and supported by the Foundation.
Schools and local authorities are responsiblefor the maintenance of equipment and facilities.
Basic teacher training college provision isexpected to include general courses on com-puter science, and instruction in methodologyrelating to the use of ICT. Teacher training
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colleges, other teacher training centres andthe Tiger Leap Foundation are responsiblefor in-service teacher training.
Public/private partnerships
A leading Estonian manufacturer and otherforeign manufacturers provide for the imple-mentation of these initiatives. However, edu-cational software tends to be mainly pro-duced by individual specialists or universitiesrather than by companies, which are notreally interested in the relatively modestdemand for it.
Major initiatives implemented
a) Tiger Leap 1996-2000
Aims: the aims of this national programmewere to improve infrastructure and, in partic-ular, increase the number of computers inschools.Partners: the Tiger Leap Foundation, Ministryof Education, Tartu University and TallinnTechnical University, PHARE InformationSystems in Education Programme, INTEL,Scottish Centre for Educational Technology,Estonian Educational and Research Network(EENET).Target groups: basic and upper secondaryschools.Period: 1996-2000, with a EUR 10.51 mil-lion budget.Measures for promotion and implementation:• plan for financing and allocations on the
part of local authorities (EUR 5.6 million),organisations and firms (EUR 128 000);
• teacher training;• provision of schools with software;
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• establishment of development and trainingprojects (such as the construction of a gate-way and computer networks for teachers).
Progress to date: the programme was evalu-ated when it ended in 2000:• one computer is available for 25 pupils on
average, and each school possesses atleast one computer. Three-quarters of theschools have on-line connections, whileothers have either dial-up connections orno connection;
• out of 17 000 teachers, 10 900 receivedtraining with support from the programme,while 2 600 teachers were involved in highlevel courses;
• 61 kinds of educational software, 39 ofthem new, were provided;
• 172 development and training schemeswere established.
b) Plan to implement the Tiger Leap +Programme
Aims: implementation of the Tiger Leap +development plan.Partners: the Tiger Leap Foundation whoseboard includes representatives of governmentand the local authorities, the Estonian associ-ation of school heads and the EstonianCouncil of Rectors, as well as private individ-uals and firms; Ministry of Education, thenational centre for exams and qualifications,universities, research institutes, training insti-tutions and government agencies.Period: 2001-2005.Measures for promotion and implementation:• development of a systems for appraising
the ICT skills of teachers (1 March 2001);• in-service training of teachers in ICT and
the establishment of certification (up to2005);
• introduction of courses on the methodologyof ICT applications in classes for teachers in
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basic and upper secondary education(1 September 2001);
• reference to the level of ICT skills require-ments in the job descriptions of schoolheads (1 June 2001) and training of schoolheads (up to 2002);
• inclusion of ICT as a school subject innational curricula (1 June 2001);
• identification of the content, aims andexpected results of teaching ICT in schoolsubjects; schools may supplement oramend ICT content provided this is done ina way consistent with the subject concerned(up to 2005);
• preparation of a particular system forassessing pupil skills in the 3rd and 4th stagesof study, and annual inspection of the sys-tem (2001/2002);
• introduction of a pilot examination con-cerned with ICT skills in the 9th and 12th
grades (spring 2002);• introducing assessment of pupil ICT skills in
all schools (1 September 2003);
• take-over by the State of responsibility forthe financing and administration of con-necting schools to the Internet, with con-nections established on the basis of needs(1 September 2001);
• production and transmission of teachingand instructional materials – along withinternational cooperation projects and sce-narios for the introduction of ICT into edu-cation – on a gateway website for teachers(up to 2005);
• provision of schools with comprehensiveICT facilities, and scope for them to formu-late their own development plans (up to2005);
• involvement of teachers in projects whichencourage the use of ICT in teaching (edu-cational software, virtual upper secondaryeducation, international projects, etc.);
• evaluation of the effectiveness of using ICTin education (up to 2005).
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Aims and strategies
Main principle of policies for bringing ICTinto the education systemDevelopment of the intellectual capacity ofpupils so that they can become ‘lifelonglearners’ capable of involvement in the infor-mation society and the complex society of the21st century.
General aims (common to all levels of edu-cation)• Enable all pupils to acquire basic computer
skills and those needed for the developmentof the information society;
• enable staff in education to acquire thebasic skills needed for the development ofthe information society;
• consolidate the virtual environments oflearning;
• produce electronic publications, and classi-fye and communicate research findingsand teaching materials;
• strengthen the structure of the informationsociety;
• enrich and extend learning and teachingthrough the use of ICT in all courses.
Specific aims• Enable pupils in compulsory education to
develop their ability to learn and communi-cate and to be capable of renewing anddeveloping their knowledge and skills;
• develop their ability to use a computer andsoftware, and to explore the Internet;
• enable staff in compulsory education to usethe most up-to-date ICT for teaching pur-poses;
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Cyprus• ensure that secondary schools and higher
education institutions become innovativelearning centres in which teachers and stu-dents work together to develop new teach-ing applications;
• support students in secondary and highereducation in their transition from one levelof education to the next;
• enable them to acquire computer program-ming skills, and to devise and executeInternet applications;
• encourage them to develop an ethos asregards computer science and to appreci-ate the usefulness of ICT in their own lives.
Main strategies• Computer facilities, including Internet con-
nections:Each primary class at grades 4, 5 and 6will receive at least one computer, androoms shared by pupils in other gradesand by teachers will have computers bySeptember 2001. All primary schools cur-rently have at least one ISDN or PSTNInternet connection. Each public-sectorlower secondary school will receive a com-puter connected to the Internet in its library,in addition to the computer facilities italready has. In upper secondary educa-tion, special classrooms for teaching lan-guages, history, physics and other subjectsare connected to the Internet, and allschools have one or two laboratories withcomputers linked to the local network andInternet access via router and ISDN orPSTN lines.
• Inclusion of ICT in courses:10% of primary schools are involved in anexperimental strategy for the introductionand use of information technology at thislevel of education, essentially as a resourcefor teaching and learning. In public-sectorlower secondary schools, information tech-nology has been introduced as a tool in
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specific courses (drawing and design tech-nologies, home economics), and will beincluded twice a week as a subject in itsown right to develop the basic skills ofpupils. This is the result of a decision of theCouncil of Ministers in January 2000, andan agreement with the teaching unions,which will implement it from September2001.
In the first grade of upper secondary edu-cation, information technology is a schoolsubject. The introduction of an exam equiv-alent to the European Computer DrivingLicence is envisaged at this level.Specialisation courses are offered in thesecond and third grades. Most of the time,information technology is used as aresource to support the teaching of othersubjects.
Sharing of responsibilities
The Ministry of Education and Culture isresponsible for purchasing computer infra-structure, software and network facilities. TheMinistry is preparing a new system for basicmaterials maintenance, but the more exten-sive maintenance of the computer infrastruc-ture is handled by the private sector followingthe publication of calls for tender.
The curriculum department of the Ministry ofEducation and Culture is responsible forspecifying and developing the courses andchanges required to achieve ICT objectives.The Pedagogical Institute of the Ministry isresponsible for in-service teacher training.
The Ministry of Finance provides the budgetfor development of these activities.
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Public/private partnerships
The information technology department of theMinistry of Education and Culture developsvaried multimedia programmes and e-Learning platforms in collaboration withhigher education institutions and theUniversity of Cyprus.
Major initiatives implemented
a) Enabling all schools, teachers and stu-dents to have easy access to the Internetand multimedia resources
Aims: extension of school Internet connec-tions and establishment of an intranet inupper secondary schools.Target groups: schools at all levels of educa-tion, pupils and teachers.Period: until September 2001.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: production of a multimedia CD as ateaching resource by the curriculum depart-ment of the Ministry.
b) Internet transmission of educationalback-up and services
Aims: Internet provision of these facilities.Partners: government and private-sectorpartners.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion:• identification of educational back-up and
service requirements.• making a specialist or team of specialists
available in schools to support the integra-tion of ICT into education.
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c) Teacher training
Aims: train all teachers before 2003. Beforethe end of the first round of training providedby the Pedagogical Institute, trainees shouldbe capable of operating computer facilities,using software and exploiting the scope of
the Internet to at least the standards requiredfor award of the European computer drivinglicence.
Partners: government and the PedagogicalInstitute.
Target groups: all teachers.
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Aims and strategies
General aimDevelop a sound high quality education sys-tem to underpin the cultural heritage andwell-being of the country.
Specific aimsTrain qualified specialists in computer pro-gramming and ICT in order to develop amajor economic sector geared to exportactivity.
Main strategiesa) Computerising the education system:• preparing pupils, students and teachers to
live and work in the information society;• modernising the process of learning so that
it becomes increasingly more effective;• initiating the LIIS (Latvian Education
Informatization System) project (1) in 1997to form a network of all education institu-tions through unified informatization ofeducation, management and informationservices in the education system with thehelp of modern technologies and a com-mon infrastructure.
b) Training qualified specialists in branchesof computer programming and all fieldsclosely linked to ICT:
• developing a professional system of educa-tion in these fields;
• increasing the number of higher educationgraduates in these fields;
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Latvia• introducing management and specialised
marketing courses geared to the produc-tion of services in them;
• establishing budgetary arrangements forthe training of specialists in informationtechnologies;
• ensuring that the whole of society isinformed about the development of theinformation technology sector in Latvia andthe Baltic countries;
• encouraging entrepreneurs to invest in edu-cation concerned with the information tech-nologies and computer programming, aswell as in professional and academicteaching and research;
• support for learning activity in the field ofcomputer science in secondary schools;
• support for the science of the new tech-nologies through the development of state-financed computer science programmes;
• training specialists to the highest level ininformation technologies.
Sharing of responsibilities
At central level, the government is financingthe LIIS. The General Education Departmentof the Ministry of Education and Sciencealso lays down the guidelines for the educa-tional content selected during the productionof software by LIIS project experts.
The Ministry of Education and Science, theUniversity of Latvia, the local authorities andschools are responsible for project implemen-tation. The Ministry, the University of Latviaand the local authorities reach tripartiteagreements and determine the number ofteachers who will receive training. Atregional level, teacher training is adminis-tered by LIIS regional centres.
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(1) The LIIS project is one of the main priorities of theInformatics national programme for the developmentof the information society.
The LIIS project monitoring committee(Uzraudzibas komiteja) confirms theresources earmarked for the various regionswhich may either use them to purchaseequipment themselves in accordance withproject recommendations, or leave the gov-ernment to do this on their behalf.
Finally, the eLatvia programme is adminis-tered by the Ministry for Economic Affairs,while the Informatics national programme isthe responsibility of the Ministry ofTransport.
Public/private partnerships
There are no major partnerships with manu-facturers. Computer equipment is purchasedin accordance with the most favourable ten-der in line with the Law on State Orders.
Major initiatives implemented
a) LIIS (Latvian Education InformatizationSystem)
Aims:• incorporate ICT into teaching in accor-
dance with the following guidelines: com-puters should support but not replaceteachers; teachers and pupils should beactive participants and not passive con-sumers; computerisation should be capableof providing equal opportunities for devel-opment of everyone, irrespective of exter-nal considerations;
• train all teachers (over 40 000) to use ICTin their work, in accordance with the prin-ciple of lifelong learning;
• introduce ICT into management and infor-mation services.
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Partners: the Ministry of Education andScience, the University of Latvia, local author-ities and schools.Period: the initiative got under way in 1997.Measures for promotion and implementation:• products for primary schools: methodologi-
cal materials explaining the content andaspects of new educational projects;
• products to demonstrate interrelationshipsbetween certain subjects;
• teaching materials to stimulate the activeparticipation of pupils;
• teaching materials on the subject of Latvia;• bilingual education;• training in methodology for teachers;• involvement of teachers and pupils in the
development and approval of productswith the support of University of Latvia spe-cialists, particularly by means of projectwork;
• development of software and methodologi-cal materials for independent work, andthe introduction of ICT in the learningprocess.
b) eLatvia
Aims: the eLatvia programme is a socio-eco-nomic initiative intended to improve the effec-tiveness and competitiveness of Latvia on theworld market and improve the level of socialwell-being. In addition to significant action inthe areas of e-commerce or e-government,the programme is partly concerned with theavailability of basic knowledge related to theinformation technologies. The aim is that allpeople should be able to secure access toinformation and fundamental knowledge andmake use of them in the course of daily life.Period: the programme lasts until 2004.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: it is intended that the aims of the pro-
gramme should be achieved by the followingmeans:• speeding up the computerisation of
schools: support for computer-assistedlearning, the development of methodologi-cal materials and teacher training;
• connecting all schools to the Internet andexploiting its potential for the purpose oflearning;
• introducing courses for the provision ofbasic knowledge in the field of informationin all higher education curricula;
• teaching everyone to research informationeffectively, consolidate it as knowledge anddevelop the motivation to undertake inde-pendent lifelong learning;
• turning libraries into the main centres forprovision of information in all fields, andensuring their uniform distribution through-out the country;
• introduction of the European ComputerDriving Licence.
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Aims and strategies
General aims (at primary and upper second-ary levels)• Develop a new culture of coexistence of
education and society;• make pupils aware of why ICT is impor-
tant and offering them instruction in thesubject;
• include ICT in the education of the entirepopulation.
Specific aims• The relationship of education and society:
making education a more integral aspectof society as a whole and, in particular,developing the principle of lifelong learn-ing.
• Life at school: revitalising school activity,for example by extending the servicesand tasks of school libraries, and makingICT an integral part of the administrationand management of schools.
• Curriculum and teaching methods:– including ICT in courses and teaching
methods so that all pupils are entitledto educational provision in the subject;
– ensuring that ‘ICT culture’ becomes apermanent feature of the entire educa-tional system and promoting innova-tive forms of teaching and teachingmethods.
• Computer equipment and facilities andteaching materials:– gradually reaching a level of one per-
sonal computer for every 10 pupils inLithuanian schools, from the 9th to the12th years, first of all, and then, suc-
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Lithuaniacessively, the 7th to the 9th, the 5th to the7th and the 1st to the 5th years;
– modernising school libraries;– improving Internet access and estab-
lish intranet links in all schools;– developing teaching materials;– setting up regional ICT resource and
service centres and regional centresfor in-service teacher training in ICT,which also have distance educationfacilities.
• Training of teachers, ICT coordinators andinformation resource librarians:– enabling all teachers to benefit from
training in ICT: after establishing train-ing levels, enabling all teachers fromthe 9th to the 12th school years, as wellas school librarians, to receive initialICT training in accordance with thoselevels, and then extending this provi-sion to all teachers and other educa-tional staff from the 1st to the 9th years;
– enabling ICT teachers and coordina-tors to receive initial and in-servicetraining: firmly establishing the levelsof training they require;
– offering school librarians an opportu-nity to become specialist administra-tors of their information centre andICT trainers;
– developing an effective flexible systemof in-service training for teachers sothat they can regularly upgrade theirteaching skills;
– introducing a multi-level promotionsystem for teachers who use ICT.
• Creating much closer links between edu-cation and research: mobilising theresearch sector, higher education institu-tions and Lithuanian research capacity ingeneral to ensure that ICT becomes anintegral part of education.
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• Financing and managing the introductionof ICT:– initiating and institutionalising a
financing and management system tointegrate ICT within the education sys-tem;
– establishing a strategy to incorporateICT into vocational education andtraining;
– developing a strategy to establish thepermanent infrastructure needed forthe creation of ICT networks;
– developing a strategy for the introduc-tion of distance education into educa-tion as a whole.
– granting official recognition to ICTtraining bodies.
Main strategiesDevising four consecutive phases for imple-mentation of these strategies:• Initial phase: provision of the financial
and legal basis, the technical require-ments and professionals with a soundgrasp of the fundamentals of ICT;
• phase involving the modernisation ofschool libraries and the development ofregional in-service teacher training cen-tres;
• phase in which ICT is made an integralpart of the educational process: encour-agement given to technology-based edu-cation for pupils, teachers and the entirepopulation; inclusion of ICT in the teach-ing and learning of different subjects;
• phase involving the growth of educationalnetworks: development of the infrastruc-ture needed to establish networks andincreased exploitation of telecommunica-tions potential in school activities.
(Source: Strategy for making ICT an integral part of edu-cation, approved on 18 December 2000, by order No.1279 of the Ministry of Education and Science, coveringthe whole of general education, including primary, lower
secondary and upper secondary schools, the gymnasia,youth schools, vocational schools and special schools).
Sharing of responsibilities
Before Lithuania became independent, theSoviet government was responsible forbringing ICT into the education system. Theuse of computers in general secondary edu-cation got under way in the mid-1980s andcomputer science became a compulsory sub-ject in upper secondary education. A uniformcomputer science curriculum drawn up bySoviet scientists was then introduced in allschools. Until 1990, schools were suppliedwith computer equipment on a centralisedbasis and it was regarded as a tool for workin clearly defined computer science courses.
Since independence, the Ministry ofEducation and Science has been responsiblefor introducing ICT into education. In order toinject momentum into the process, it set up thecomputer science and forecasting centre atthe end of 1990, and this has become thecentre for information technology in educa-tion, which has been give the task of devel-oping ICT policy and providing schools withcomputers. The centre administers govern-ment funds for bringing ICT into general sec-ondary schools. Given the growing impor-tance of ICT, the government is exercisingincreasing influence.
National-level projects are concerned withthe purchase of new hardware and software,Internet connections and the development ofnational educational computer networks,while local authorities deal with the mainte-nance and refurbishment of equipment.
The local authorities are also responsible forthe teacher training centres.
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Schools determine how ICT will be used intheir activities. They are able to assumeincreasing responsibility in the ongoing driveto enhance schooling and will become moreinvolved in devising and implementing futureICT policy.
Public/private partnerships
Under the terms of the Mokykla informacineivisuomenei programme (A School for anInformation-based Society), the followingbodies and persons have agreed to cooper-ate and support the educational sector: theLietuvos Telekomas company, Microsoft, theDoctor J.P. Kazickas family foundation, MrV.G. Gruodis, Omnitel (the telecommunica-tions company), the Open Society Fund –Lithuania, the Infobalt association, theInstitute of Mathematics and ComputerScience, and the Vilcomp, Sonex and BalticAmadeus companies. A general agreementhas led to the setting up of a Council forSupport and Coordination which submitsproposals to the Ministry of Education andScience and discusses projects.
In 2000, Lietuvos Telekomas and Microsoftorganised a support project in north-westLithuania, in which 95 Internet access lineswere installed free of charge, 120 schoolswere granted preferential rates for Internetuse, 180 teachers were offered computers fit-ted with modems and Microsoft software as agift and 1228 teachers were given training.
In two projects known as Telefono liniju ived-imas (Instalment of Communication Lines)and Internetas Lietuvos mokykloms (Internetfor Lithuania’s Schools) in the Kompass pro-gramme launched by Lietuvos Telekomas inSeptember 2000, 82 lines have been
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installed and 102 schools use the Internet atpreferential rates.
The Doctor J.P. Kazickas family foundation,Mr V.G. Gruodis, and Omnitel havelaunched the first phase of a support project:following a study of applications submitted,100 schools are to be provided with com-puter science class facilities (including fivecomputers, a printer, a scanner, and intranetin each school), and Internet access at halfthe normal rate.
The Vilcomp company has sold over 50 com-puters to the schools, together with Microsoftsoftware at reduced rates.
Baltic Amadeus has supplied seven schoolswith computer science class facilities, com-prising over 50 computers, and aEUR 27 800 (LTL 100 000) budgetary outlay.
In 2000, the Open Society Fund spentEUR 73 580 (LTL 264 074) on a series of sup-port projects. Schools have also receivedmany educational CDs.
Endorsement letters now received for thethree years ahead point to EUR 4.46 million(LTL 16 million) in financial support.
Major initiatives implemented
a) The Lietuvos mokykla XXI amzi-aus informacine.je visuomene.jeprogramme (The Lithuanian School in theInformation Society of the 21st Century)
Aims: develop the information society, andencourage and promote the use of ICT bypupils and teachers in teaching and learning.Partners: the centre for information technol-ogy in education (an institution which is
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responsible to the Ministry of Education andScience and administers the Programme); theMinistry of Education and Science, otherinstitutions for which it is responsible andother organisations involved in carrying outthe Programme; local school administrativebodies and educational centres.Target groups: all schools offering generaleducation.Period and budget: from 2001 to 2004, with abudget of EUR 80.53 million (LTL 289 million).Measures for promotion and implementation:• provision of schools with computers (one
computer for every ten pupils);• creation of a post of computer informa-
tion resource librarian in all schoollibraries;
• establishment of internal computer net-works in most schools;
• installation of high-speed Internet connec-tions in schools;
• development of educational software andadaptation of foreign software;
• ICT training of teachers from the 1st to the12th school years in accordance withestablished levels.
b) Mokykla informacinei visuomenei (ASchool for an Information-based Society)
Aims: support the incorporation of ICT intothe education system and the governmentprogramme for this purpose.Partners: central authorities and public-sec-tor administrative bodies, firms and otherorganisations, private individuals.Target groups: the entire education system.Period: 2000-2003.
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Aims and strategies
Aims• Improve education at all levels;• improve the skills which all people now
need to live in the information society;• support teaching and learning methods (at
primary, lower secondary and upper sec-ondary levels);
• encourage the international exchange ofknowledge and experience;
• make national cultural and scientific capitalaccessible and share it.
Main strategies• Providing the középiskola (upper second-
ary general and vocational schools) and asubstantial proportion of általános iskola(primary and lower secondary schools)with basic computer equipment and net-work connections;
• transmission of content over an Internetweb site, under the SuliNet-Írisz pro-gramme (1);
• improving Internet connection facilities inhigher education institutions in the last twoyears under the National InformationInfrastructure Development Programme(NIIF): amplification of the pass band bytwo degrees of magnitude (the aims being
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Hungaryto double its capacity each year andimprove the connecting speed);
• training: courses organised throughout thecountry for teachers in service (2); estab-lishment of the SuliNet laboratory in sev-eral higher education institutions to supportinitial teacher training in ICT which is nowcompulsory;
• international involvement: participation inthe ICT and the Quality of Learning projectof the OECD (Organisation for EconomicCooperation and Development) to analysetrends and international experience andbuild them into national strategies; partici-pation of several bodies in the Minervaaction of the Community programme,Socrates;
• databanks and networks to boost access tocultural and scientific resources: establish-ment of an electronic library providingaccess to a substantial proportion ofHungarian literature; the construction, byHungarian libraries, of common databaseswhich can be accessed by the general pub-lic; launching of a project to secure accessto museum databases; joint action by theMinistry of Education and the NIIFProgramme to establish a gateway websiteproviding access to national cultural andscientific content (the aim being to pursueintegration of these activities conducted inparallel);
• securing access of higher education institu-tions to international library materials andperiodicals: the Ministry of Education sup-ports the basic services while institutionsfinance their specific demands.
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(1) The address of the website is: www.sulinet.hu. TheHungarian network, SuliNet-Írisz, is a member of theEuropean Schoolnet network.
(2) In-service teacher training is compulsory but not inICT. However, most in-service training courses in sub-ject methodology contain elements concerned with theteaching and learning applications of ICT.
Sharing of responsibilities
As regards the provision of schools withhardware, the Ministry of Education deter-mines relevant strategies and action pro-grammes and undertakes the overall fundingof initiatives.
Actual provision of hardware and ICT is theresponsibility of the local authorities, fromwhich schools get their equipment and ma-terials and receive directly the amounts allo-cated to them.
For example, in 1997 the Ministry ofEducation initiated the Sulinet programme asa national strategy for bringing ICT into theeducation sector: 80% of the középiskola andgimnázium (upper secondary generalschools which may also provide lower sec-ondary education) and 20% of the általánosiskola were connected before 1998 to theInternet at the expense of the Ministry ofEducation for five years and provided with amodern classroom containing 7 to 16 com-puters.
At regional level, regular calls for tender bythe Public Foundation for School Educationalso provide opportunities for developing ICTin schools. Other ministries occasionally issueopen calls to which schools may replydirectly.
As regards the provision of software, theMinistry has supplied schools with a set of 32educational CD-ROMs free of charge, underthe Sulinet programme. Educational contentdeveloped in the Írisz project may now bedownloaded free of charge on the Sulinetwebsite.
2 In addition, schools are entitled to buy soft-ware of their own choosing with their ownbudgetary resources.
As far as curricular content is concerned, the1995 national curriculum which has beencompulsory since 1998 lays down that chil-dren aged between 12 and 16 should receiveat least one lesson in ICT a week. FromSeptember 2001, the new so-calledKerettanterv (Framework Curriculum) willintroduce an intermediate level betweennational and local curricula.
Local provision approved by the localauthorities will have to be consistent with thisnew regulation. The aim of the lesson oninformation technology will be to get pupilsinterested in ICT, familiarise them with tools,methods and concepts based on it andenable them to use their knowledge in othersubjects and in their daily life.
Use of ICT in other courses depends on deci-sions taken by teaching staff, as well as ontheir own knowledge and the facilities avail-able.
Local, regional and national competitionsalso concerned with ICT are organised.
As to teacher training, the governmentfinances 80% of provision for in-serviceteachers, with the remaining 20% paid by theindividual teachers involved, the school orother sponsors. Schools decide who shouldreceive training and the form it will take.
Public/private partnerships
There are no such partnerships.
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Major initiatives implemented
a) Equipment, methods and educationalcontent
Aims: improve computer facilities and thequality of methods and educational content.Target groups: középiskola and általánosiskola.Measures for promotion and implementation:• two-pronged action for the development of
computer facilities: on the one hand, sup-port to the least developed schools in thisrespect and especially those in small vil-lages and, on the other, support to those atthe cutting edge of innovation;
• a call for proposals and creation of a qual-ity assurance system for products to sup-port teaching (setting up of a committee foreducational digital materials).
b) Training in ICT
Aims: organise ICT training courses, includ-ing more thorough training in this field inhigher education institutions.Target groups: teachers and future teachers,as well as students expecting to undertakemore specialised training in ICT.Measures for promotion and implementation:• all bodies for teacher training will have to
provide basic courses in ICT;• higher education institutions will have to
provide postgraduate courses in ICT.
c) Research and development
Aims: boost research and development, andcirculate and exploit its results.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: establishment of networks for communi-cating and exploiting its results.
4 d) Supporting bodies
Aims: ensure maintenance of the system andadequate skills levels on the part of users.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: establishment of the Systems OperatorService and ICT-based Pedagogy CounsellingService for this purpose.
e) International involvement
Aims: expansion of international professionalrelations and participation in the work of themost important international organisations.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: participation in the European Schoolnetnetwork has been an important development.
f) NIIF Programme
Aims: improve Internet access capacity.Target groups: higher education.Measures for promotion and implementation:• participation in the TEN-34 and
Quantum (3) European projects;• participation in the GEANT programme (4):
establishment of a connection with the
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(3) TEN 34 and Quantum are EU projects for the devel-opment of a European research network. They wereinitiated in February 1997 and at the start of 1999,respectively. The GEANT Programme discussed in thenext footnote seeks to extend still further the networkdeveloped in Quantum.
(4) Officially launched by the European Commission on 6November 2000 during the conference ’IST 2000 –the Information Society for All’, the European projectknown as GEANT (the Gigabyte European AcademicNeTwork) aims to link up previously existing nationaleducation and research networks, with a high capac-ity of 2.5 Gb/second during 2001, increasing this stillfurther in subsequent years. The project is receivingEUR 160 million in funding from the Member Statesand EUR 80 million from the European Commission.With the national networks, GEANT will cover theentire EU and a number of pre-accession countries,including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia,Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia.Website: http://www.dante.net/geant
Hungarian higher education network, witha 2.5 Gb/second access capacity in 2001,which will then be increased in step withthat of other partners.
g) Development of e-Learning materials
Aims: use of electronic teaching materials toimprove the quality of open and distancelearning courses.
Partners: Ministry of Education, PrimeMinister’s Office and the public FoundationApertus.Target groups: higher education, vocationaltraining, adult education, in-company training.Measures for promotion and implementation:• call for tenders to develop e-Learning ma-
terials and e-books;• motivate state and private education insti-
tutions to use e-Learning methods.
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Aims and strategies
General aimContribute to ensuring that children exercisetheir right to derive full benefit from educa-tional programmes and services whichshould be available for all.(Source: National Curriculum, which took effect inOctober 2000).
Specific aims• Extend ICT to all schools (at all levels);• use of computers as an effective learning
resource, as in their applications for allsubjects taught at primary level, and theuse of specialised software in the engineer-ing and finance sectors at post-secondarylevel;
• familiarise teachers with the use of ICT asan effective tool for preparing and con-ducting their lessons;
• assist schools with their new administrativeresponsibilities (resulting from the transferof administrative duties from the centraloffice to school administrators).
Main strategies• Financial investment: over EUR 15 million
for the entire programme;• providing primary and secondary schools
with computers: by October 2001, eachprimary class will possess at least 4 multi-media computers, appropriate software,one large monitor, a printer and oneportable computer for every teacher (atpresent, one computer is available for 7pupils); secondary schools are beingequipped with one to three computer labo-ratories, and an effort is being made to
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Maltabring down the number of pupils per com-puter (at present, there is one computer for20 pupils);
• curricular integration of ICT: introduction ofa secondary-level ICT course in October1998 for forms 1, 2 et 3 and soon all oth-ers, in accordance with the terms of theEuropean Computer Driving Licence; use ofICT in secondary-level mathematics teach-ing in 1998; inclusion of computer scienceas an optional subject in form 3; proposalto include advanced computer science as asubject in post-secondary education;
• primary schoolteachers were equippedwith portable computers;
• teacher training: basic course on the use ofmultimedia software for all teachers in pri-mary education; financing of a two-yearUniversity of Malta evening course forteachers on the use ICT, leading to recog-nised qualifications; assistance offered toteachers by ICT specialist teachers workingin various schools;
• installation of The Schools InformationSystem (SIS) to assist schools with adminis-tration, which has now been decentralisedto their level: provision of the necessarycomputer equipment (1 or 2 computers,one dot-matrix printer and one laserprinter per school); training school headsand administrative staff to use the system(database management module listinginformation about pupils, pupil attendanceand parent information management mod-ule, staff management modules, financialmanagement module, timetable manage-ment module, module for managing e-mailwhich will eventually be used by the centralauthorities and schools to communicatewith each other);
• creation of an ICT central unit within theMinistry of Education that coordinates,supports and evaluates new ICT initiatives.
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Sharing of responsibilities
The programme is financed by the govern-ment which is responsible for the purchaseand maintenance of equipment and facilities.
Public/private partnerships
There are no formal partnerships.
Major initiatives implemented
a) ICT in primary education
Aims:• improve the effectiveness of teaching and
learning;• encourage general ICT proficiency.Partners: Ministry of Education (curriculumdepartment), school heads, educational offi-cers, primary schoolteachers, specialist ICTteachers working in several schools.Target groups: primary schoolteachers.Period: 1996-2001.Measures for promotion and implementation:• teacher training: training classes of teach-
ers for primary level at the ICT learningcentre (25 hours in all);
• assistance offered to teachers with incorpo-rating ICT in their activity, by ICT specialistteachers working in various schools.
b) ICT in secondary education
Aims: train teachers so that they can acquirea sound grasp of the following software:Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, MicrosoftAccess, Microsoft Publisher.Partners: Ministry of Education (curriculumdepartment), school heads, educational offi-cers, ICT coordinators, teachers of ICT.
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2 Target groups: secondary schoolteachers.Period: 1998-2002.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: teacher training: training classes ofteachers for secondary level at the ICT learn-ing centre (125 hours in all).
c) ICT for mathematics teaching
Aims: train mathematics teachers to useappropriate software (Excel Microsoft,Microworld logo, Derive, Cabri-geometré) tosupport their teaching.Partners: Ministry of Education (curriculumdepartment), school heads, educational offi-cers, mathematics coordinators, teachers ofmathematics.Target groups: secondary schoolteachers ofmathematics.Period: 1998-2002.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: courses for mathematics teachers.
d) Matsec Ordinary Level (secondary levelcomputer science)
Aims: include computer science as a subjectin secondary state schools within a year(computer science has been part of the cur-riculum of non-state secondary schools since1993). Courses are concerned with quantita-tive phenomena and seek to demonstratehow they occur and may be used to discoveralgorithmic solutions.Partners: University of Malta, Ministry ofEducation (curriculum department), schoolheads, educational officers, computer sciencecoordinators and teachers.Target groups: form 3 secondary schoolpupils.Period: the scheme began in 1993.
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e) Matsec Advanced Level (post-secondarylevel computer science)
Aims: enable pupils to increase their know-ledge of computer science (its history, currentand future trends, and sectorial and socialapplications of ICT) and to embark on ahigher education undergraduate coursewhich covers the technical aspects of ICT.Partners: University of Malta, Ministry ofEducation (Department of Further Studies andAdult Education), heads of post-secondaryschools, educational officers, computer sci-ence coordinators and teachers.Target groups: SEC-level (SecondaryEducation Certificate) post-secondary stu-dents in computer science.Period: the scheme began in 1995.
f) University courses and qualifications forteachers
Aims: train more teachers to use ICT in theirwork.Partners: Ministry of Education (curriculumdepartment), the faculty of education.Target groups: primary schoolteachers, sec-ondary schoolteachers (particularly of mathe-matics), teachers of information technology,computer science teachers.Period: the initiative is ongoing.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: financing of training for recognisedqualifications in the following areas: informa-tion technologies for teaching children in theinitial stages of primary education; informa-tion technologies for teaching children in the
later stages of primary education; informa-tion technologies for teaching mathematics insecondary education; information technolo-gies and their applications in upper second-ary education; computer science courses.
g) The Internet in schools
Aims: provide schools with broad bandwidthInternet connections and pupils with an elec-tronic address and Internet access.Partners: Malta Information Technology andTraining Services (MITTS), Ministry ofEducation (curriculum department) andschool heads.Target groups: all primary school and post-secondary pupils.Period: 1999-2003.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: initiation of a project by the Ministry ofEducation, and appointment of a manage-ment committee to implement it.
h) Information and CommunicationTechnology Centre (ICTC)
Aims: transmit educational content and serv-ices through the networks within school,among schools and between schools and theICTC. The ICTC is a central unit within theMinistry of Education that coordinates, sup-ports and facilitates the introduction of ICT inschools. It has two branches, one dealingwith primary education and the other withsecondary education. They are called the ICTLearning Centre (Primary) and the ICTLearning Centre (Secondary), respectively.
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Aims and strategies
General aims• Support for the reform of the Polish educa-
tion system undertaken in recent years atall levels and in all sectors (primary, lowerand upper secondary, general, vocationaland higher education) and in particularsupport for its modernisation;
• support for the development of the infor-mation society.
Specific aims• Enable pupils to use the new technologies
as an effective resource for learning andresearching information, and as a meansfor problem-solving;
• train future and in-service teachers toadopt ICT not only as a subject to be taughtbut as a resource to be used when teachingvarious other subjects.
Main strategies• Introduction of new common and detailed
curricula, at primary and gymnasium(lower secondary) levels; preparing for thesame development at lyceum (upper sec-ondary) level;
• preparation of school textbooks to be usedwith the new curricula supported by inter-active multimedia content on CD-ROM andthe Internet;
• training future and in-service teachers;• launching, in 1999, of the Interkl@sa ini-
tiative by the parliamentary committee foreducation, science and youth, the Ministryof Education, local authorities, non-govern-mental organisations (NGOs), private firmsand the media to develop the information
1
Polandsociety; devising a number of schemes toencourage the introduction of ICT intoschools;
• preparation, before the end of May 2001,of a White Paper devoted substantially toeducation and entitled Strategy for thedevelopment of the information society inPoland for the years 2001-2006 – ePolska.
Sharing of responsibilities
At central level, the Ministry of Educationdraws up the common curriculum, specifyingschool textbooks and other teaching materi-als and recommending appropriate software.The Ministry is also responsible for supplyingschools with hardware and software, whichare financed from the government budget.
The local authorities are responsible forusing their local budgets to purchase andmaintain hardware and software.
Schools prepare detailed curricula, deter-mine teaching methods and cover Internetand current expenditure (paper, ink for theirprinters, etc.).
Public/private partnerships
INTEL and Microsoft take part in the Teach tothe Future project which has a EUR 555 000budget for training teachers to use ICT in va-rious school subjects. The goal is to train 100trainers and 4 000 teachers who will each beresponsible for training 20 more teachers.
Microsoft offers reduced rates for the pur-chase of software funded by the governmentbudget.
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CISCO takes part in the CICSO Academiesproject for training Internet and intranet spe-cialists and technicians, in cooperation withthe local authorities.
Finally, under agreements signed by theMinistry of Education and TP SA (the Polishtelecommunications company), the latteroffers free Internet access to schools of up to600 monthly units identical to those on aphonecard, equal to 3 minutes during theday and 6 minutes at night and weekends.
Major initiatives implemented
a) An Internet laboratory in each localauthority
Aims: provide schools with computer equip-ment and ICT facilities. In 1998, 2 500 pri-mary and lower secondary schools wereeach supplied with laboratories containing10 computers able to access the Internet, andgeneral and educational software, while7 000 teachers received training (threeteachers in every school each had trainingsessions lasting a total 40 hours).Target groups: pupils and teachers in pri-mary and lower secondary schools.Measures for promotion and implementation:• provision of schools with a laboratory con-
taining 10 computers able to access theInternet, and appropriate general and edu-cational software;
• teacher training.
b) An Internet laboratory in each gymna-sium
Aims: provide schools with computer equip-ment and ICT facilities. In 1999 and 2000,3 300 lower secondary schools were
4
equipped with the above-mentioned kind oflaboratory.Target groups: lower secondary schools.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: provision of schools with a laboratorycontaining 10 computers able to access theInternet, and appropriate general and edu-cational software.
c) An Internet laboratory in each school
Aims: work on the above-mentioned projects,providing primary and upper secondaryschools with appropriate facilities in the yearsahead.Target groups: primary and upper secondaryschools.
d) The Interkl@sa initiative
Aims: boost the use of ICT in schools at alllevels of education, reduce the digital divideand help pupils and teachers to becomeinvolved in the information society.Partners: parliamentary committee for edu-cation, science youth, the Ministry ofEducation, local authorities, NGOs and pri-vate and media companies.Target groups: schools at all levels of educa-tion.Period: since 1999.
e) Agreements between the Ministry ofEducation and TP SA
Aims: provide for school Internet access freeof charge.Partners: the Ministry of Education and TP SA.Target groups: schools at all levels of education.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: agreements between the Ministry ofEducation and TP SA providing for freeInternet access to schools of up to 600 units amonth.
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f) Teacher trainingICT is taught in most teacher training estab-lishments, although it is not a compulsory sub-ject given the curricular autonomy of highereducation institutions. However, according tothe Resolution of the General Council of
Higher Education, ICT is recommended forinclusion in higher education curricula.Moreover, in the draft legislation on highereducation, there is provision for the Ministerof Education to define teacher training stan-dards, which include familiarity with ICT.
Poland
165
Aims and strategies
Aims• Develop a technical and information envi-
ronment to support educational reform;• ensure that ICT is widely used in education;• improve the processes of teaching and
learning.
Strategies• developing the necessary infrastructure at
all levels of education;• training teachers to use ICT as a resource
for teaching;• training school heads in ICT;• training pupils to use ICT as a learning
resource;• producing educational software geared to
curricular requirements;• boosting open and distance education;• introducing ICT courses at postgraduate
level;• involving the private sector in the acquisi-
tion of equipment and materials and inteacher training.
(Sources: National Strategy for the wholesale extension ofICT, 1998-2002; National Strategy for the developmentof human resources, 2000-2010).
Sharing of responsibilities
At central level, the Ministry of Educationsets out the general policy for ICT in the fieldof education and initiates projects. TheMinistry is also responsible for validating cur-ricula. The Ministry of Communications andInformation Technology, which is responsible
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Romaniafor introducing ICT into all sectors, is alsoinvolved in some educational projects.
School inspectorates at regional level coor-dinate the provision of hardware and soft-ware to schools. Local authorities and non-governmental organisations are responsiblefor the maintenance of these facilities.
Teachers determine their teaching methodsand choose their textbooks from those recom-mended and approved by the Ministry ofNational Education.
Public/private partnerships
There is no partnership with private-sectorproviders for extensive implementation of ini-tiatives. However, private firms such as IBMor Xnet are involved in schemes to provideschools with computer facilities. Non-govern-mental organisations also provide opportuni-ties for partnership.
Major initiatives implemented
a) Revitalising education in rural areas
Aims: this project includes action to provideschools with ICT.Partners: the Romanian government and theWorld Bank.Target groups: schools in rural areas.Budget: EUR 3.35 million for 2000/2001.
b) Management and information systemfor education
Aims: provide schools with ICT.Partners: the Romanian government and theWorld Bank.Budget: EUR 1.45 million for 2000/2001.
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c) Computers for compulsory and second-ary education
Aims: provide primary and secondaryschools with computer equipment and soft-ware, and connect them to the Internet so thateach school for compulsory education has aminimum of eight computers, while eachupper secondary school has at least 12.Three phases are envisaged in which 15% ofschools will obtain these facilities in the firsttwo years, 35% in the third year, and 50% inthe final year.
Partners: the Ministry of Education, thenational commission for ICT, non-governmen-tal organisations and private companies.
Target groups: primary, lower secondaryand upper secondary schools.
Period: 1998-2002.
d) P&G 2000 project
Aims: provide schools with computer equip-ment and ICT.
Partners: Ministry of Education, big privatecompanies (IBM, Xnet) and non-governmen-tal organisations (Save the ChildrenFoundation).
Target groups: primary, lower secondaryand upper secondary schools.
Period: 1999/2000.
Measures for promotion and implementation:
• schools submit project proposals;
• project evaluation and selection (criteria:demonstrate effective use of computers).
Results of the final evaluation: 800 comput-ers were distributed to 160 schools.
e) Programme for initial teacher training inthe use of ICT
Aims: train teachers so that they can: • perform word processing and use spread-
sheets;• research information on CD-ROM, the
Internet, or in bibliographic databases;• communicate over the Internet (send and
receive e-mail);• determine the basic requirements for
design of a database;• use a database management system;• understand the difference between physical
structure (meaning the way data is writtenin files on the hard disc) and the logicalstructure of a database (the way data isorganised from a logical standpoint and therelations between its constituent elements).
Partners: Ministry of Education, national centrefor primary, lower secondary and upper sec-ondary school teacher training, the nationalcouncil for teacher training, teacher trainingdepartments (departments placed in universi-ties which train teachers for primary, lower andupper secondary levels), teachers’ resourcecentres (regional centres attached to countyschool inspectorates, which train the same tar-get group).Target groups: teachers undergoing initialtraining.Period: 2000-2002.
f) Programme for the in-service training ofprimary, lower secondary and uppersecondary schoolteachers
Aims: train teachers so that they can: • perform word processing and use spread-
sheets;• research information on CD-ROM, the
Internet, or in bibliographic databases;• communicate over the Internet (send and
receive e-mail);
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• determine the basic requirements fordesign of a database;
• use a database management system;• understand the difference between physical
structure and the logical structure of a data-base.
Partners: Ministry of Education, national cen-tre for upper secondary school teacher train-ing, the national council for teacher training,teacher resource centres.Target groups: primary, lower secondaryand upper secondary schoolteachers.Period: 2000-2004.
g) Programme for the development ofRoEduNet (the Romanian education net-work)
RoEduNet is a national communicationsinfrastructure within the education system,which is open to non-profit-making organisa-tions involved in education, research or cul-tural activities.Aims:The objectives of RoEduNet are as follows:• provide Internet access to academic or sci-
entific information related to a given edu-cational field;
• facilitate access to applications based onmultimedia technologies;
• develop open and distance educationcourses;
• provide information for policy-making;• enable a wide range of people to secure
access to information in the field of educa-tion.
It is intended to connect all main educationalinstitutions, libraries and county schoolinspectorates to the Ministry of Education.Partners: Ministry of Education, local author-ities, county school inspectorates.Target groups: schools and other educationalinstitutions and non-profit-making organisa-tions.
Measures for promotion and implementation:• first phase: connecting county school
inspectorates and the local authorities;• second phase: connecting county school
inspectorates with schools in their area;• connecting all educational institutions
among themselves and setting up an infor-mation service for the general public.
h) Project supported by the Ministry ofCommunications and InformationTechnology
Aims: speed up the introduction of computersinto education and facilitate Internet access incompulsory and upper secondary education:• develop the human resources needed to
initiate pupils into the use of computers andthe Internet;
• train teaching staff to use ICT;• establish eight centres for distance educa-
tion;• use e-mail as a means of communication in
primary, lower secondary and upper sec-ondary schools.
Partners: Ministry of Communications andInformation Technology.Target groups and budget: compulsory andupper secondary education, with a budget ofEUR 44.68 million in 2001, EUR 55.85 mil-lion in 2001/2002, and EUR 111.71 millionin 2003/2004, amounting to a total budgetof EUR 212.24 million.Period: 2001-2004.Measures for promotion and implementation:• establishment of ICT laboratories which
provide for Internet access in upper sec-ondary schools (2001);
• determination of minimum equipment andfacilities required (2001/2002);
• development of ICT in compulsory educa-tion (2003/2004).
Romania
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Aims and strategies
General aims• Enable everyone to acquire basic skills not
only in computer science but in ICT;• improve the quality of teaching and learn-
ing.
Specific aims• Train teachers and pupils to use ICT;• computerisation of schools (hardware, soft-
ware, local network with access to theInternet);
• create new working opportunities in theresearch and development sectors.
StrategiesThese are set out as aims to be achieved:• defining an overall organisational structure
for computerising schools;• computerising course content and working
methods;• providing schools with modern computers
and ICT facilities;• providing schools with local and interna-
tional educational computer networks for thetransmission of new educational materials;
• encouraging educational staff (teachers,school heads and educators) to use theirprivate computer and ICT and, in particu-lar, multimedia and Internet services;
• boosting the research and developmentsectors;
• taking part in e-projects.
The foregoing aims and strategies involve alleducational levels and sectors from pre-pri-mary to higher education. In higher educa-tion, there is greater emphasis on teacher
1
Sloveniatraining. The relevant institutions are alsoinvolved in achieving these aims and strate-gies (and include educational bodies con-cerned with lifelong learning programmes, aswell as other bodies offering courses outsidemainstream education).(Source: phases I and II of the CLE Programme (1994-1997); Information Literacy Education. Phase II is cur-rently being discussed in the ministries concerned).
Sharing of responsibilities
Although not yet formalised, the sharing ofresponsibilities will involve the Ministries ofEducation, Science and Sport, the Ministry ofthe Information Society, the local authoritiesand schools. The Ministry of Education,Science and Sport and the Ministry of theInformation Society will be responsible forprogramme implementation. Another nationalbody to be involved in the Programme, theCouncil for Information Literacy Education,will be set up in due course.
Public/private partnerships
Partnerships will be formed when theProgramme is adopted, particularly to pro-vide equipment and facilities and initiateplanned activities.
Major initiatives implemented
a) The Slovenian network for educationand other networks
Aims: interconnection of local education net-works and with similar international net-works.
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171
Measures for promotion and implementation:• permanent connection of educational insti-
tutions to the Internet for high-speedexchanges (in terms of gigabytes);
• publishing all learning-related activity onthe Slovenian educational network and theEuropean network, European Schoolnet;
• establishment of a virtual university on theInternet to transmit local and internationaleducational initiatives.
b) Computerising educational structures
Aims: computerising structures concernedwith education.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: a computerised educational structurewill be responsible for:• cofinancing the purchase of 60 000 net-
work multimedia computers and peripher-als;
• supplying and cofinancing basic softwareand software packages for teaching;
• maintaining equipment, supplementing iteach year with new purchases and mod-ernising it;
• employing and training people to organiseactivities linked to information.
c) Education and training
Aims: use of computers and ICT in teachingand learning.Measures for promotion and implementation:• enhancing and updating the knowledge,
skills and routine activity of educationalstaff (15 000 persons annually);
• financing education workshops, open daysand projects in all schools;
• organising local and international meet-ings of professionals to promote projectsand exchange experience;
• actively involving eminent educational staffin local and international meetings.
d) Research and development
Aims: create a stimulating research anddevelopment environment, and introduceinnovation in the use of computers and ICT ineducation.Measures for promotion and implementation:• setting up at least five centres for research,
development and innovation in facultiesand schools;
• ordering and selecting annually 20 devel-opment projects for the production ofteaching software and educational materi-als on the Internet, as well as 100 smallerprojects for the production of appropriateeducational content on the Web;
• getting involved in bilateral and interna-tional research and development initiatives.
e) Teachers, pupils and e-projects
Aims: devising and using new approaches toteaching and learning.Measures for promotion and implementation:• creating a teaching and learning informa-
tion environment in which teachers can beproactive and train themselves;
• creating a learning information environ-ment for pupils, as well as all citizensinvolved in lifelong learning;
• cofinancing or fully financing national e-projects (Slovenian history and theSlovenian geographical area, theSlovenian language and translation).
f) Experts and money
Aims: provide resources for development andinnovation by experts and the computerisa-tion of the education system.Measures for promotion and implementa-tion: 30 full-time professionals and 200 pro-fessionals working for one-third of their time;EUR 46.25 million (SIT 10 billion) a year.
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g) Centres for the computerisation ofSlovenian education
Aims: establishment of help centres for work-ing with the Internet, as well as centres fororganising the introduction of ICT into educa-tion and learning within the education system.
Slovenia
173
Aims and strategies
AimsThe aims underlying the introduction of ICTinto the education system are expressed interms of ICT knowledge and skills required ateach level of education:• enabling acquisition of the basic routine
skills needed to use computers in optionalsubjects at the first stage of primary educa-tion;
• enabling acquisition of the basic routineskills needed to use the Internet and theappropriate software for individual schoolsubjects at the second stage of primaryeducation and secondary level;
• attaching particular importance to thestudy and use of ICT to research sources, sothat software specific to certain subjectareas can be used in higher education.
(Source: Programme Declaration by the Minister ofEducation relating to curricula defined for each level ofeducation and approved by the Minister: concept relatingto the thorough development of higher education in the21st century and concept relating to the development ofeducation for the new millennium.)
Strategies• Establishment and financing of projects by
the Ministry of Education;• development of computer networks
between higher education institutions andthe universities and connecting to theInternet (SANET project – Slovak AcademicNetwork);
• provision of primary and secondaryschools with facilities and connecting themto the Internet (Infovek project);
• training of primary and secondary school-teachers (Infovek project);
1
Slovakia• financing school projects (Infovek project);• national and international exchange of infor-
mation and experience (Infovek project);• boosting cooperation between higher educa-
tion institutions, developing high quality infor-mation systems and use of ICT in education.
Sharing of responsibilities
Two kinds of organisation are to be found inschools. Some primary schools and all second-ary schools constitute autonomous legal entitieswhich are responsible for the purchase of hard-ware, software, and laboratory equipment,together with the maintenance of equipment.
Around half of all primary schools are theresponsibility of their local authorities (districtoffices) which, in the case of these schools,carry out the same tasks. However, schoolswhich are autonomous legal entities may trans-fer their responsibilities to the local authorities.
The Ministry of Education and the regionalauthorities are involved in introducing ICTinto schools through pilot projects, such asInfovek, or under agreements with Microsoftwhich supplies schools with the MicrosoftWindows operating system and withMicrosoft Office.
Public/private partnerships
Public/private partnerships have been devel-oped as part of the Infovek and EUNIS – SKprojects.As private donors, Telenor Slovakia andNextra support the Infovek project and areparticularly active in supplying equipment.
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175
Microsoft is a partner in the EUNIS – SK pro-ject and CISCO soon will be. In February2000, the Ministry of Education signed acontract with Microsoft Slovakia under whichthe firm provisionally offers cheap rates forthe purchase of basic products (a EUR 1.10licence for the purchase of the MicrosoftWindows operating system and MicrosoftOffice). A similar contract is being negotiatedwith CISCO.
Major initiatives implemented
a) SANET – Slovak Academic Network
Aims:• build a computer network linking higher
education institutions and the universitiesand use it to provide them with Internetaccess: all the foregoing institutions arenow linked to the SANET network;
• extend the network to other institutions,including primary and secondary schools,under the Infovek project referred to above:some schools in this category now use thisnetwork;
• take part in the GEANT European project,the Gigabyte European AcademicNeTwork (1).
Partners: the SANET association adminis-tered by the Minister of Education (whichcontributes to the funding of activities) andthe European Union (which is responsible forlinks to the GEANT network).Target groups: higher education institutions,universities, teaching and research sectorsand other institutions, including primary andsecondary schools (Infovek project).
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Period and budget: since 1991, with abudget of EUR 0.46 million (SKK 20 million)in both 2000 and 2001.
b) Infovek Project
Aims: introduce ICT into teaching and learn-ing in primary and secondary schools, byconnecting these schools to the Internetbefore the end of 2002, training their teach-ers and enabling all pupils to master basiccomputer skills before the end of 2003.Partners: the non-governmental non-profit-making civic association, Infovek, theMinistry of Culture which funds the project,and private donors which contribute to itsfunding, including Telenor Slovakia andNextra which, respectively, contributedEUR 11 500 (SKK 0.5 million) andEUR 6 900 (SKK 0.3 million) in 2000.Target groups: primary and secondarypupils and teachers.Period: since 1998.Budget:• the government has promised EUR 9.38
million (SKK 400 million) in addition to theEUR 4.69 million (SK 200 million) alreadyearmarked for the project in 2001;
• in 1999, the EUR 0.46 million (SKK 20 mil-lion) allocated by the Ministry of Educationwere broken down as follows: 91.93% fortechnical equipment and facilities; 4.34%for Internet connections; 3.66% for educa-tion and 0.07% for administration; in2000, the EUR 1.84 million (SKK 80 mil-lion) allocated by the Ministry of Educationwere broken down as follows: 70.63% fortechnical equipment and facilities; 20.63%for Internet connections; 6.25% for educa-tion and 2.5% for administration;
• in 1999, EUR 0.46 million (SKK 20 million)were awarded to the 80 schools involved inthe project; in 2000, EUR 1.88 million(SKK 80 million) were awarded to the 150
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(1) For further details on the European project known asGEANT (the Gigabyte European Academic NeTwork),see the footnote on p.157, in the national descriptionfor Hungary.
schools involved; and in 2001,EUR 4.69 million (SKK 200 million) arebeing earmarked for a further 1 000schools.
Progress to date:• in 1999, 190 teachers were trained in
summer schools;• 80 schools were involved in the project in
1999, and 150 in 2000 (it is estimated thata further 1 000 are involved in 2001).
Measures for promotion and implementation:• encouraging schools to submit projects on
different topics (which so far have includedmathematics, ecology, biology, chemistry,information science, the Slovak languageand geology, as well as information andnew methods concerned with teaching andlearning); projects have been selected andfunded by Infovek;
• teacher training: involvement in the projectof the greatest possible number of highereducation institutions and universitieswhich train teachers for primary and sec-ondary levels; encouraging the use of ICTin teaching; running summer schools forprimary and secondary schoolteachersand offering them various forms of in-serv-ice training (doctoral and specialised study,additional or higher levels of qualification,etc.);
• developing and supplying the necessaryequipment with donor support;
• connecting schools to the Internet beforethe end of 2002;
• exchanging information and experience:initiating national and foreign studies for
the exchange of information and greaterunderstanding of the classroom use of ICT;participation at national and internationalevents devoted to ICT.
c) EUNIS – SK
Aims: creation of a platform for higher edu-cation institutions so that they can cooperate,develop high quality information systems andsolve problems relating to ICT and its use.Partners: EUNIS, the civic association com-prising higher education institutions andother members, the Ministry of Education(which contributes to funding), Microsoft andCISCO.Target groups: students and teachers inhigher education.Budget: EUR 0.35 million (SKK 15 million)allocated by the Ministry for 2001.Measures for promotion and implementation:• creation and development of a system for
establishing varied forms of communica-tion between workers and bodies whichare responsible for the provision and use ofICT in higher education institutions.
• establishing a system to support the careerpromotion of teaching staff who use ICT;
• communicating and cooperating withnational and international organisationsinvolved in the use of ICT in higher educa-tion;
• creating an integrated informationresource system linking up universitylibraries and securing access to its materialon the part of teachers and students.
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179
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EURYDICE EUROPEAN UNIT
Coordination of the study: Patricia Wastiau-SchlüterDrafting of the national descriptions: Valérie Pugin, Stéphanie Oberheidt
English-language Editor: Brian Frost-SmithTechnical coordination and proof-reading: Gisèle De Lel
Secretariat: Agatina Sicurella - Web pages: Brigitte GendebienBibliographic and documentary research: Marie-Pierre Antoine, Colette Vanandruel
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
European Union
Belgique/België• French Community Joint responsibility of the Unit• German-speaking Community Joint responsibility of the Unit• Flemish Community Joint responsibility of the Unit
Danmark Joint responsibility of the Unit
Bundesrepublik Deutschland• Bund Joint responsibility of the Unit
• Länder Joint responsibility of the Unit
Ellada Antigoni Faragoulitaki, Anastasia Liapi
España Juan Luis Cordero, Carmen Morales
France Thierry Damour with the assistance of the Technology Directorate (SDTETIC)
Ireland Joint responsibility of the Unit
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Nederland Joint responsibility (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences); drs. Raymondvan der Ree (coordination)
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Pre-accession countries Joint responsibility of the Unit
Balgarija Rossitza Velinova
Ceská Republika Joint responsibility of the Unit
Eesti Enel Mägi (General Manager of The Tiger Leap Foundation)
Kypros Andreas Skotinos, Polikarpos Hatjipolikarpou, Michael Tortouris
Latvija Joint responsibility of the Unit
Lietuva Joint responsibility of the Unit; Centre of Information Technologies for Education
Magyarország Department for Public Education Evaluation and Development, Bureau of theHigher Education Investments Commissioner; coordinator: Áron Ecsedy(Eurydice Unit)
Malta Mr. L. Zammit, Assistant Director of Education ICT within the Department ofCurriculum Management
Polska Jerzy Da≥ek
România Alexandru Modrescu, Tina Modrescu
Slovenija Borut Campelj (National Education Institute)
Slovenská Republika Joint responsibility of the Unit
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EUROPEAN UNION
BELGIQUE / BELGIËUnité francophone d’EurydiceMinistère de la Communauté françaiseDirection générale des Relations internationalesBureau 6A/002Boulevard Leopold II 441080 Bruxelles
Vlaamse Eurydice-EenheidMinisterie van de Vlaamse GemeenschapDepartement OnderwijsAfdeling BeleidscoördinatieHendrik Consciencegebouw 5C13Koning Albert II - laan 151210 Brussel
Ministerium der Deutschsprachigen GemeinschaftAgentur Eurydice / Agentur für Europäische ProgrammeQuartum CentreHütte 79 / Bk 284700 Eupen
DANMARKEurydice’s Informationskontor i DanmarkInstitutionsstyrelsenUndervisningsministerietFrederiksholms Kanal 25D1220 København K
BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLANDEurydice-Informationsstelle beimBundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung undTechnologieHannoversche Strasse 28-3010115 Berlin
Eurydice-Informationsstelle der Länderim Sekretariat der KultusministerkonferenzLennéstrasse 653113 Bonn
ELLADAMinistry of National Education and Religious AffairsDirection CEE – Section CEurydice UnitMitropoleos 1510185 Athens
ESPAÑAMinisterio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (MECD)CIDE – Centro de Investigación y Documentación EducativaUnidad de Eurydicec/General Oráa 5528006 Madrid
FRANCEUnité d’EurydiceMinistère de l’Éducation nationale,Délégation aux relations internationales et à la coopérationCentre de ressources pour l’information internationaleRue de Grenelle 11075357 Paris
IRELANDEurydice UnitInternational SectionDepartment of Education and ScienceMarlborough StreetDublin 1
Eurydice Network
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ITALIAMinistero della Pubblica Istruzionec/o INDIRE – Istituto Nazionale di Documentazione perl’Innovazione e la Ricerca Educativa (ex BDP)Unità di EurydiceVia M. Buonarroti 1050122 Firenze
LUXEMBOURGUnité d’EurydiceMinistère de la Culture, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de laRecherche (CEDIES)Route de Longwy 2801940 Luxembourg
NEDERLANDEurydice Eenheid NederlandAfd. Informatiediensten D073Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en WetenschappenPostbus 25000 – Europaweg 42700 LZ Zoetermeer
ÖSTERREICHBundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaftund Kultur – Abt. I/6bEurydice-InformationsstelleMinoritenplatz 51014 Wien
PORTUGALUnidade de EurydiceMinistério da EducaçãoDepartamento de Avaliação, Prospectiva e Planeamento(DAPP)Av. 24 de Julho 1341350 Lisboa
SUOMI / FINLANDEurydice FinlandNational Board of EducationP.O. Box 38000531 Helsinki
SVERIGEEurydice UnitMinistry of Education and ScienceDrottninggatan 16103 33 Stockholm
UNITED KINGDOMEurydice Unit for England, Wales and Northern IrelandNational Foundation for Educational Research (NFER)The Mere, Upton ParkSlough, Berkshire SL1 2DQ
Eurydice Unit ScotlandInternational Relations BranchScottish Executive Education DepartmentArea 1 - B (CP)Victoria QuayEdinburgh EH6 6QQ
EFTA/EEA COUNTRIES
ÍSLANDMinistry of Education, Science and CultureDivision of Evaluation and SupervisionEurydice UnitSölvhólsgata 4150 Reykjavik
LIECHTENSTEINNational Unit of Eurydice SchulamtHerrengasse 29490 Vaduz
NORGERoyal Norwegian Ministry of Education,Research and Church AffairsEurydice UnitP.O. Box 8119 Dep.0032 Oslo
PRE-ACCESSION COUNTRIES
BALGARIJAEurydice UnitEquivalence and Information CentreInternational Relations DepartmentMinistry of Education and Science2A, Knjaz Dondukov Bld1000 Sofia
CESKÁ REPUBLIKAEurydice UnitInstitute for Information on Education – ÚIV/IIESenovázné nám. 26Praha 06, 11006
EESTIEurydice UnitEstonian Ministry of Education9/11 Tonismägi St.15192 Tallinn
MALTAEducation Officer (Statistics)Eurydice UnitDepartment of Planning and DevelopmentEducation DivisionFloriana CMR 02
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KYPROSMinistry of Education and CulturePedagogical Institute Eurydice UnitLatsiaP.O. Box 127202252 Nicosia
LATVIJAEurydice UnitMinistry of Education and ScienceDepartment of European Integration & Coordination ofInternatinonal Assistance ProgrammesValnu 21050 Riga
LIETUVAEurydice UnitMinistry of Education and ScienceA. Volano 2/72691 Vilnius
MAGYARORSZÁGEurydice UnitMinistry of EducationSzalay u. 10-141054 Budapest
POLSKAEurydice UnitFoundation for the Development of the Education SystemSocrates AgencyMokotowska 4300-551 Warsaw
ROMÂNIAEurydice UnitSocrates National Agency1 Schitu Magureanu – 2nd Floor70626 Bucharest
SLOVENIJAMinistry of Education, Science and SportEurydice UnitZupanciceva 6 1000 Ljubljana
SLOVENSKÁ REPUBLIKASlovak Academic Association for International CooperationEurydice UnitStaré grunty 52842 44 Bratislava
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Production
Layout and printing: Les Éditions européennes, Brussels, Belgium
[email protected]: Information and Communication Technology in European EducationSystems
Eurydice
Brussels: Eurydice
2001 – 186 p.
Eurydice Survey; 4
ISBN 2-87116-324-3
Descriptors: New technologies, Information technology, Educational technology, Didacticuse of computer, Primary education, Secondary education, Higher education, Adult edu-cation, Educational innovation, Teacher education, Cyprus, Malta, EFTA, Central andEastern Europe, European Union
Directorate-General for Education and Culture
European Commission
EURYDICE
[email protected], the information network on education in Europe
The EURYDICE Network produces reliable, readily comparable information onnational education systems and policies. EURYDICE also acts as an observatory,highlighting both the diversity of systems and their common features.
Working on behalf of policy-makers and the world of education, EURYDICE pre-pares and publishes:
• regularly updated descriptive analyses of the organization of education systems;• comparative studies on specific topics of European interest;• indicators on the various levels of education from pre-primary to tertiary educa-
tion.
EURYDICE also has its own database, EURYBASE, which constitutes a furtherhighly detailed reference source on education systems in Europe.
By circulating the results of its work, EURYDICE promotes better mutual under-standing of these systems and the common issues that run through them.
Established in 1980, EURYDICE has been an integral part of Socrates, theCommunity action programme in education. The Network comprises NationalUnits and a European Unit. National Units set up by the corresponding educationministries now exist in 30 countries, namely the 15 EU Member States, the threeEFTA/EEA countries, ten central and eastern European countries, Cyprus andMalta. These Units provide and check the basic information needed to sustain net-work activity. The Brussels-based European Unit set up by the EuropeanCommission is responsible for management of the network, coordination of itsactivities, preparation of the comparative analyses, and database design andadministration.
EUREURYDICE on the Internet: http://wwwYDICE on the Internet: http://www.eurydice.org.eurydice.org
Survey 4