Summer's near, and the time is right for IT

With a host of IT courses and a selection of in-service courses coming on stream this summer, the holiday months promise to be especially busy for teachers at both primary and post-primary level. Following the Minister for Education's announcement last Thursday that £24 million is to be injected into schools and in-service courses between now and the end of the year, teachers will have their work cut out for them.

As part of the £24 million investment in information-technology (IT) development, up to 630 new courses at introductory level will be run at education centres around the State between now and the end of the year. Also, information on almost 600 summer in-service courses for primary teachers will arrive in schools today from the Department of Education and Science. They range from RSE and school planning to the Irish language and beyond. Last year, 13,500 teachers availed of these courses, which are provided by the Department throughout the summer months.

The INTO has up to 21,000 primary teachers who are ready to avail of courses on computer technology, says the union's IT officer, Kathryn Crowley. It has also identified up to 180 teachers for a computer "talent bank". Jerome Morrissey, director of the National Centre for Technology in Education, says primary or post-primary teachers who complete any of the 630 new introductory courses which the centre will fund over the coming months will be given accreditation at third level.

Teachers will be able to continue with further training and gain qualifications and recognition for these courses. In June, up to 250 "trainers" will themselves be trained for the introductory IT courses. They will then be based at education centres around the State and co-ordinate the courses from there.

Morrissey praises the education centres for their enthusiasm and commitment to the programme to date: "They really have the bit between their teeth."

The NCTE estimates that its current programme will provide computer training to approximately 8,000 teachers in 1998. With additional programmes, by the end of 2001 professional development will be provided to at least 20,000 teachers.

Crowley welcomes the Minister's announcement last Thursday that schools will get up to £15 million for the purchase of computers. "They will have a choice," she said. "That will give them real ownership. "The fact that a lot of schools have built up strong bonds with local suppliers can be built upon."