16/11/02
The State Government is set to spend millions of dollars improving the computer and technology skills of teachers, and millions more for improved technology equipment in 100 of the State's most needy schools.
Education Minister Alan Carpenter announced the $20million 100 Schools Project today at Lockridge Primary School, saying the project would help teachers and students make the most of information technology.
Mr Carpenter said it would particularly help Western Australian children who had limited access to computers and computer technology.
"It is a clear fact of life that all children - and their teachers - need to have computer skills to survive in the modern economy," he said.
"Many children gain those skills at home, but many do not.
"This project is aimed directly at the kids who don't.
"The project will help students and teachers develop technology skills and use them as a tool for learning and teaching.
"For students, technology can accelerate, enrich and deepen their basic literacy and numeracy skills.
"It can motivate and engage students in learning, help them relate learning to the real world and connect schools to the world.
"It will also provide extensive training and support to teachers, who are the key to learning in schools, enabling them to extend their repertoire of teaching strategies."
Mr Carpenter said the 100 Schools Project was a part of the State Government's overall strategy to improve learning opportunities for children in Government schools across the State.
He said the project was focused on delivering benefits in each of the Government's five educational priority areas:
- improving literacy and numeracy;
- increasing retention rates;
- creating better learning environments;
- developing better information technology; and
- raising the status and standard of teachers.
"The project will deliver improved computer equipment, networking infrastructure, and extensive teacher professional development, all of which will provide enhanced technology services to staff and students," the Minister said.
He said the $20million project included $11million for technology infrastructure improvements to schools and $6million for teacher professional development.
A further $3million would go towards selected online technologies including the provision of Internet and other services.
Mr Carpenter today named 19 country and 15 metropolitan schools selected to be a part of the first stage of the four-year project.
"Each of the 34 schools in the initial $3.5million stage will, during 2003,
receive improved information technology," he said.
"Teachers will also participate in professional development with a focus on integrating the technology into the teaching and learning process."
The Minister said the
100 Schools Project followed the highly successful Application Service Provider (ASP) Infrastructure Trial implemented in 2001 at 12
primary schools in the Fremantle Education District.
"Information from the ASP trial will provide direction to this important project of professional development and infrastructure improvements to schools," he said.
Mr Carpenter said the project was part of the Government's $129million investment in information and communications technology in schools to help improve the learning outcomes of students.
"The State Government is spending $58.4million in the 2002-03 financial year to provide the WA public school system with improvements in infrastructure and computer access in the classroom," he said.
"The Government has allocated more than $16.3million this financial year to maintain existing information and communication technology infrastructure in schools across the State, including $1.5million on professional development for teachers."
The State Government's information and communication technology push to enhance learning and teaching in schools has also included:
- $10.5million this year to complete the first stage of the Notebooks for TeachersProgram, with 11,000 notebooks delivered to teachers;
- $90million over three years to provide significantly increased bandwidth to 400 primary and secondary metropolitan schools and 340 regional schools; and
- a commitment to issue all Year Eight students at the Highbury campus of Geraldton Secondary College with individual computers from next year as part of the massive rejuvenation of public education in Geraldton.
Mr Carpenter said the remaining 66 schools in the
100 Schools Project would be identified early next year.
The schools included in the initial stage of the
100 Schools Project are:
Albany Secondary Education Support Centre
Mt Lockyer Primary School
North Albany Senior High School
Spencer Park Primary School
Spencer Park Education Support Centre
Beckenham Primary School
Cannington Community Education Support Centre
Cannington Community College
Gibbs Street Primary School
Queens Park Primary School
Sevenoaks Senior College
Eastern Goldfields Senior High School
Eastern Goldfields Senior High School Education Support Centre
Kalgoorlie Primary School
Kalgoorlie School of the Air
Kinross College
Quinns Beach Primary School
Carnarvon Primary School
Carnarvon School of the Air
Carnarvon Senior High School
East Carnarvon Primary School
Meekatharra District High School
Meekatharra School of the Air
Avonvale Education Support Centre
Avonvale Primary School
Northam Primary School
Northam Senior High School
Balga Primary School
Balga Senior High School
Dryandra Primary School
Girrawheen Senior High School
Lockridge Primary School
Middle Swan Primary School
Warriapendi Primary School.
Minister's office: 9213 6800
