§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much money has been made available for each year since 1990 for information technology initiatives(a) for initial teacher training and (b) in schools; and if she will make a statement.[22556]
§ Mr. Robin SquireThe Department has given a central lead to the development of information technology in schools since the early 1980s. It is not possible to isolate the initial teacher training element.
The main source of the Department's financial support is provided through the grants for education support and training programme. The specific GEST 24W allocations for IT in schools in the five years from 1990–91 to 1994–95 were: £19.8 million, £30.4 million, £30 million, £30 million, and £21.9 million.
In 1995–96 and 1996–97 support for IT in schools continues to be available through the school effectiveness GEST programme. Eligible expenditure, which attracts grant at the rate of 60 per cent., includes IT equipment, upgrades and software, the installation of networking, the cost of teacher training provision and the employment of IT advisory teachers.
Over the period from 1990–91 to 1995–96, the Department has also separately made available funding in excess of £22 million to pilot new technologies; to stimulate software development focused on the needs of the national curriculum; to provide additional funding to equip many schools with multimedia technologies, and to support the development of the effective use of IT in individual curriculum subjects, the primary phase and with children with special educational needs.
In addition, the Department has made an annual grant available, in the region of £5 million per annum, to support the work of the National Council for Educational Technology to help schools use IT effectively for curriculum and administrative purposes.