I am the Principal of a rurally based primary school.

Pupils and staff have the opportunity to work in a location which is very beautiful.

Nature abounds around us. The beauty of the seasons can be observed at first hand.

The community in which the school is based is close knit and very supportive. The school is at the centre of the community and life revolves around it.
I have been teaching for the past twenty years, the last twelve of those years have been in the position of Principal

I was quite proud to have been appointed Principal at such a young age. I determined to do all I could to make my school a place that everyone could be proud of.

Dealing with a multi class group is very challenging from an organisational aspect especially when being the principal further compounds the challenge. The constant ringing of the phone, callers to the door, the additional pressures of paperwork etc. detract from my main duty of care – my pupils.

Educationally we are quite advanced in our outlook. We are very involved in the local community. We get involved in many projects. The pupils are environmentally aware.

We have the honour of having our own website. The site was researched and uploaded by the pupils themselves.

Little did I think when I entered the teaching ‘profession’ that I would end up doing some of the ‘duties’ that I do on a daily basis.

Amongst other things I have to:

• Set traps to catch vermin.
• Mop up the floor of the toilet after heavy rain.
• Go up on the roof during the holidays to patch it up.
• ‘Build’ a scaffold with tables to patch up the ceiling to prevent the damp plaster from falling down.
• Regularly throw out books damaged by the dampness.
• Store paper and library books at home to prevent them being damaged in school and because lack of space is also a major problem.
• Carry home all the computer equipment for holidays because of dampness fears and because of security fears.

Teaching in conditions like these shows a marked disrespect to my profession and for me.

I am helping to mould the Irish citizens of the future. It is difficult to maintain a respect for a system that does not maintain a respect for me.

The goodwill that exists between teachers and the Department of Education and Science is slowly waning.

If that goodwill goes our Education System will surely suffer.

Now with the Celtic Tiger becoming a distant memory what’s one of the first things to get hit? ….. the Education System!

You’re pulling the promised funding for I.C.T.

Thanks a lot Fianna Fáil!

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation today called on the government to clarify what funding if any, is available for school computing. The union’s General Secretary John Carr said the Taoiseach’s refusal to say if funding for new computers was available would come as a body blow to schools waiting nearly six years for government investment to upgrade clapped out computers.
“In computer terms that is two lifetimes of no money for school computers. Most school computers should be in museums not schools,” said Carr.
Mr Cowen was unable to confirm to the Dail today if the commitment in the NDP that €252 million would be spent on school computing was going ahead.
John Carr said there must be no doubts about this matter. “Either the money is there or it’s not,” he said. “If it is, it must be paid to schools straight away. If it’s not then government must admit publicly to parents and teachers that it has broken another promise on primary education.”
Mr Carr said Irish primary schools already lag well behind their EU counterparts when it comes to IT investment. “Our level of funding is only a fraction of what is spent in the north,” he said. “A digital border is beginning to divide our island.” Only last December, Mr Cowen, in his budget speech told the Dail that postponing or delaying the NDP would be a major policy error and specifically stated education would be included in the main elements of the capital investment programme for 2008. Today he was unable to confirm if the planned investment in Information and Communication Technology in schools would go ahead as planned.

It’s now official!

Information and Communication Technologies aren’t a priority for our schools.

We were promised €252 million as part of the National Development Plan.

It doesn’t seem to be available anymore.

Judge for yourself …. the following is an extract from a Dáil question and reply session with our new Minister for Education and Science Batt O’Keeffe:

Deputy Brian Hayes asked the Minister for Education and Science when schools will be able to draw down the €252 million investment promised for information and communications technology; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Education and Science (Deputy Batt O’Keeffe):
Since the introduction of the programme of investment in information and communications technology in 1998, almost €200 million has been invested in information and communications technology in schools. Some €80 million was provided to schools in equipment grants under the Schools ICT 2000 and Blueprint for the Future of ICT schemes. A further €23 million has been provided since 2004 to develop the networking capacity of schools and facilitate the full exploitation by schools of the potential offered by broadband connectivity and the efficient use by schools of computer software. The current national development plan provides for investment of €252 million in information and communications technology in schools between 2007 and 2013.
The Deputy will be aware that my predecessor appointed a strategy group to advise on the priorities for expenditure on information and communications technology in schools. I intend to publish the group’s report shortly. The report will cover areas of required investment over the lifetime of the national development plan. At its core will be the embedding of information and communications technology in the teaching and learning culture of schools. This will require continuing investment in teacher professional development to build further on the impressive teacher participation levels which have been evident to date. It will require the continuing maintenance of a national broadband network for schools, the upgrading and renewal of hardware and the provision of software and digital content. It will be important to focus on the provision of technical support to schools and the development of appropriate models in a cost effective manner.
Decisions on the timing and amount of expenditure in this area this year must be made in the overall context of the current budgetary situation. I am required to work within the budget set for the Department of Education and Science. My officials and I are reviewing the overall financial position with regard to spending trends and emerging pressures. Following this review, I anticipate that I will be in a position to make decisions on specific areas of expenditure.

Deputy Brian Hayes:
I congratulate Deputy Batt O’Keeffe on his appointment as Minister for Education and Science. I look forward to working with him over the course of the next while. I wish him well in his new position. In his response to Question No. 79, which relates to the development of information and communications technology in our schools, the Minister seemed to suggest that the €252 million that is allegedly earmarked for this sector over the course of the national development plan may be at risk. Can the Minister unequivocally tell the House whether the €252 million which was dedicated for the development of information and communications technology in schools over the course of the national development plan is absolutely guaranteed?

Deputy Batt O’Keeffe:
I thought I had made it plain that I am discussing the exact financial position with my officials. It has not been easy to examine all the funding issues in the Department of Education and Science. I am not in a position today to say “Yes, something will happen”. I have provided for expenditure in the schools sector of approximately €20 million, on the current side. I will continue to fund the National Centre for Technology in Education, which provides more than 10,000 continuing professional development training places to teachers each year. I am in discussions with my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Ryan, on the issue of broadband services in schools.

Deputy Brian Hayes:
Do I understand correctly from the Minister that the answer to my question is that the €252 million funding package is not guaranteed over the course of the next five to six years? If so, this news will come as a bombshell to schools throughout the country. The Minister’s predecessor made 17 separate announcements pertaining to the €252 million allocation.

Deputy Batt O’Keeffe:
That is right.

Deputy Brian Hayes:
The Minister has now honestly told the Dáil that there is no absolute, firm and gilt-edged guarantee that this money will be provided for schools. Is he aware that Ireland is ranked 20th of 30 OECD countries in respect of expenditure in this area? Does he know that Ireland is ranked 19th of the 27 EU member states in respect of the roll-out of broadband?
We have one computer for every ten children in this country. Our information and communications technology funding record is abysmal. The Minister, unlike his predecessor, has been honest with the Dáil. He has admitted that there is no commitment to provide a €252 million spending package. This news will come as a bombshell to schools. Can the Minister tell the Dáil whether he has read the report of the expert group? I understand that the group has said that an allocation of €252 million would be insufficient to meet the technological development needs of this country’s schools. Can the Minister confirm whether the expert group has told him that?

Deputy Batt O’Keeffe:
I do not want the Deputy to misinterpret what I am saying. I am in discussions with my officials about the overall package of funding within the Department. I am not saying that I do not intend to put funding in place for information and communications technology. It is in the national development plan. It is obvious that it is my aspiration—–

Deputy Brian Hayes:
It is no more than an aspiration.

Deputy Batt O’Keeffe:
—–to meet the demands of that part of the national development plan.

Deputy Brian Hayes:
It is not true.

Deputy Batt O’Keeffe:
I certainly do not intend to give Deputy Hayes an absolute commitment, in the Dáil, that I have the funding to roll out the whole of this.

How many faces can you see?

Up to my ears here with school work …. of my own making …. trying to see if I can get WordPress to work as a ‘plain’ looking site so I can get the pupils as masters of their own work and get them to post to the net.

Any ideas? All suggestions welcome …. I’m trying to push the boat out …. not sink it!

Been a long night …. a long tiring day ….. a burst appendix (not mine) meant I had to be elsewhere on supervision duty!

All ok now (hopefully) ….. if we could get rid of the HSE and start afresh with the ‘good’ people we’d have a great Health Service.

The people on the ground are the ones that are trying to keep the seams from falling apart.

Short answer to a long explanation ….. ‘cos Microsoft Education Ireland shafted me, my pupils and my school!

I genuinely want to advance I.T. in my school. I don’t want to do the usual stuff with the pupils.

I wanted them to get really hands on with I.T. …. develop an interactive education, perhaps have them involved in coding, …. whatever …. just as long as it linked in with the curriculum and was planned!

I contacted Microsoft Education for help/advice etc. (I didn’t look for soft money).

A year of promised visits never materialised.

I had told the pupils that Microsoft’ were visiting ….. then I had to tell them they weren’t!

Up until that moment I had every confidence in Microsoft and in my naivety expected Microsoft Education to have the answers to my questions.

I reckon we were one of the first schools in Ireland to have all our Windows operating systems and Office products fully licensed/legal.

I didn’t screw Microsoft ….. I made sure that the school didn’t screw Microsoft …..

Now I use Open Office with the pupils in the school and I have directed them towards the free alternatives that are available.

I promote Firefox …. not Internet Explorer.

I hate companies that believe their own PR and are doing nothing ‘real’ on the ground.

Another self clapping on the back IT business group in the south was approached by me also …. I needed advice on where I could take the school website … advice not a handout.

Help was promised …. again, it never materialised. I ended up revamping the school site the hard way …. I did it myself.

The one thing I’ve learned over 20 years of teaching and 40 years of life …… asking for help from people who have another agenda is a waste of time.

My only agenda when I ever ask for help in my school is to make education better for the pupils in my care.

I’ve never hesitated to ask for school.

I’ve even sold tickets door to door for my school.

I asked a friend of mine to sponsor a laptop for my school …. he did … and for that I’m grateful. It was hard for me to ask for that but the pupils use it daily so it was worth the asking.

I see the larger schools buying multiple interactive whiteboard at €5,000 each. I could open the world to my pupils and my teaching if we had one but we can’t afford it.

I.C.T. is mentioned in every curriculum document that we have … and is promoted as a tool but the financing of it is shameful.

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) were/have piloted an I.C.T. plan in primary schools ….. can I get information on it? No!

No wonder I’m looking forward to early retirement ….