Independent T.D. Michael Lowry welcomes funding of €1.19m to 186 primary and post-primary schools in Tipperary.
Independent T.D. Michael Lowry has welcomed the announcement by Mr. Richard Bruton T.D., Minister for Education and Skills to allocate funding of €1.19m to 186 primary and post-primary schools in Tipperary where the funding will be used to invest in the schools ICT infrastructure.
The grant is worth €2,000 per school plus €22.20 per mainstream pupil in primary schools, with additional per capita payments for pupils in DEIS schools, Special Classes and Special Schools. At post-primary, the rates payable are €2,000 per school plus €31.90 per student, with an additional per capita payment for students in DEIS schools. The grant is worth approximately €4,000 for a 100 pupil school and approximately €11,000 for a 500 pupil school at primary level. At post-primary level, the grant is worth circa €15,000 for a 500 student school, and over €27,000 for a 1,000 student school. Payments will be made directly into the schools’ accounts in the coming weeks and no application process is necessary.
The infrastructures which schools can purchase with this funding include improvements to teaching computers and shared student computers these may include desktop PCs, laptops, tablets or hybrid devices. Classroom projectors including short throw or ultra-short throw, long throw, interactive, or interactive flat screens (IFS) and cloud based tools and applications to support learning.
The Deputy Concluded: I welcome the decision by Minister Bruton to allocate €1.19m in ICT investment for Tipperary schools. Today’s announcement marks the start of the implementation of the government’s €210m National Digital Strategy for Schools. Technology has become part of our daily lives and it affects how we shop, socialise and most importantly learn. The allocation of this funding will assist in integrating technology into the classroom and diversity our teaching and learning styles.
