§ Mr. ClaphamTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has for the future development of the National Grid for Learning. [139409]
§ Mr. WillsI can today announce that we have commissioned a study to look at the future development and financing of the National Grid for Learning (NGfL). It will include an analysis of the full range of options for future progress and will produce recommendations about the best way forward.
New technology in schools is changing all the time. When we started the national drive to get all our schools connected to the internet three years ago, very little had been done to prepare our schools, teachers or pupils for new technology.
835WIn the last three years we have achieved a tremendous amount. Today, 98 per cent. of secondary schools and 86 per cent. of primary schools are online. That is a total of 20,200 schools connected to the internet compared with around 6,500 in 1998. The Prime Minister recently announced a further £1 billion investment to step up the drive to use new technology to raise standards in schools.
836WHowever, we must renew and re-invigorate the National Grid so that it moves with the times. It is critical that it provides accessible, high-quality, interactive content and that schools have the fast internet access that will enable them to make the best use of it. The study we have commissioned will look at the best options for securing these outcomes and the best ways of financing them, including making the best use of the private sector.