IBE in the "Digital School" programme

Published on Friday, 20 April 2012 12:50

On April 3, 2012, the Council of Ministers adopted a resolution on the government programme to develop the competence of students and teachers in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) "Digital School" and on the draft of the regulation of the Council of Ministers on the conditions, forms and procedures for the project implementation. The Educational Research Institute will take active part in the programme.

The "Digital School", whose implementation is planned for the period from April 2012 until the end of August 2013, is the pilot programme for a long-term project, implemented by the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the Ministry of Administration and Digitization, the Centre for Education Development, the Educational Research Institute, voivodship governors and local authorities running schools. The program aims to strengthen the capacity of schools to respond to the changing realities of modern life.

digital school

The programme will include four major components:

• e-teacher - preparing teachers to conduct classes, communicate with students and parents and keep school records using ICT,
• e-learning resources, including the e-textbook project - expanding public electronic educational resources, including providing access to free e-books,
• e-school - providing schools with necessary infrastructure, and in particular, modern teaching aids,
• e-student - providing students, in particular those most at risk of digital exclusion, with access to modern teaching aids.

The purpose of the pilot project is to develop an optimal model for the long-term programme of developing students and teachers ICT competence in education. Students and teachers, through the development of digital know-how, will acquire the necessary skills to function in the information society.

50 million PLN was earmarked for the pilot programme in the budget.

Within the programme the authorities running public primary schools may apply for financial assistance for the purchase of modern teaching aids to implement the curriculum using ICT (the list of approved aids inlcudes, among others, portable computing devices for students and teachers). Teachers selected by the voivodship governors to participate in the program have to declare committment to professional development and self-study in the
interschool ICT in education networks, to the use of ICT in teaching, and, for the duration of the pilot programme, to conducting open classes with the use of ICT.

Headmasters and teachers of schools selected to participate in the pilot programme in this area will receive support from the Centre for Education Development which will conduct training in the use of ICT in teaching. The Centre will also train moderators of interschool networks, and prepare professional and training materials.

Schools joining the programme are required to participate in the study conducted for the evaluation of the programme which will be conducted by the Educational Research Institute.

It is anticipated that the pilot programme will inlcude about 380 public primary schools. Authorities running these schools will receive grants for the purchase of modern teaching aids, including portable computers, interactive whiteboards and wireless devices that enable the construction of a computer network. Decisions concerning the purchases will be made freely at school and local government level which can apply to the voivodship governors for financial support under the program on the condition that they provide at least 20% of their own contribution. The procedure for selection of pilot schools provides for random selection when the requested amount in a given region is greater than the amount allocated under the program.

Proper implementation of the programme is planned, on the pilot programme completion, in the years 2013-2016.