THE ALP RELEASES ITS SCHOOL BROADBAND AND COMPUTER PLAN

LABOR PARTY CAMPAIGN LAUNCH, 14 NOVEMBER 2007

At the ALP’s campaign launch on 14 November, Mr Kevin Rudd outlined a plan ‘to turn every secondary school in to a digital school’. Mr Rudd announced that the ALP planned to allocate $1 billion over four years so that every child in years
9 to 12 would have access to their own computer at school. The National Secondary School Computer Fund would permit all government and non-government schools to apply for capital grants of up to $1 million to acquire or upgrade information and communication technology (ICT) equipment. Schools would be eligible to apply for grants every three years to upgrade computer and internet technology. Allocations to schools would be based on the number of students enrolled and existing ICT capacity.

Mr Rudd also indicated that the plan would provide schools with up-to-date broadband access. For 99 percent of students, the broadband connections would be at speeds of up to 100 megabits per second and would be through fibre to the premises broadband infrastructure. The remaining one percent of students would receive access through the best available existing technology. The broadband network would be introduced by 2013.

Mr Rudd also indicated that, as part of the ICT plan, the ALP would ensure that teachers had on-going ICT professional development, develop online curriculum resources and conferencing facilities, and develop web portals that enabled parents to participate in students’ education. In addition to the Computer Fund, Mr Rudd announced that the ALP would provide $1.17 billion over four years to create 450,000 additional places in vocational training courses. He also indicated that the ALP would fund additional university scholarships for disadvantaged students and students who enrol in courses that target areas of skill shortages.

Go to www.alp.org.au/policy/index.php#education_&_training to access details of the policies outlined in the ALP’s campaign launch.

 

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