The Government is committed to moving Ireland to the forefront of knowledge-based economies in the world through the provision of open-access broadband. It is acknowledged that a world-class communications sector is critical to the country’s continued economic and social prosperity.
In June 2009, the Government approved the Policy Paper on Next Generation Broadband. This consultation paper stated that “A new phase of broadband in schools will be instituted. Every second level school in Ireland will see 100 MBits of broadband delivered to its door and a Local Area Network (LAN) installed, so that students can learn and collaborate online simultaneously.” Internationally, reliable and affordable broadband connectivity is recognised as having the capacity to transform the ways in which teachers, students and their families communicate, collaborate and access educational resources across traditional boundaries. It is recognised that the provision of broadband facilitates greater access to digital recourses for all engaged in the educational sector.
Since 2004, under the Broadband for Schools Initiative, the Government has worked with the telecoms industry with the aim of ensuring the roll-out of broadband to every school in the country, in recognition of the need for such connectivity and the fact that large numbers of schools would not otherwise be able to get a broadband connection. The Department of Education and Skills will continue the Broadband for Schools Initiative in this regard.
The provision of 100Mbps broadband Internet access to all second level schools further supports this objective and will deliver on an important policy objective of Government which is to promote a learning environment in schools that:-
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takes full advantage of information and communications technologies in teaching and learning practice and in the delivery of a modern curriculum, and
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encourages all students to become self-assured, self-directed learners throughout their lives and to acquire the aptitudes, values and skills for successful participation as citizens of the knowledge society.
The initial pilot phase of this project has been completed and delivered to 78 schools throughout the country The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has delivered the additional 100Mbps broadband connectivity through the publicly funded national education and research network, HEAnet, and has leveraged, as appropriate, the existing infrastructure, systems and services of HEAnet and their national backhaul partners ESBT.
Project co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)