Secretary of the Department of Education Mark Scott AO, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall and Education Minister Adrian Piccoli and in Moree today.
Tuesday, 25 October 2016
MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall today welcomed a $46 million NSW Government program to boost student learning through better technology in rural and remote public schools.
Mr Marshall is hosting Education Minister Adrian Piccoli and NSW Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott AO in More and Boggabilla today, touring local schools.
“All 59 schools in the Northern Tablelands will share in the Connecting Country Schools program which will upgrade schools’ Wi-Fi access and internet capacity,” Mr Marshall said.
“Digital technology is vital to student learning in a modern education system. This upgrade will allow for wireless speeds four times faster than currently available.
“High-quality internet capacity is increasingly important for effective learning in today’s classrooms, where digital resources are a vital component of education.
“To ensure schools make best use of their upgraded wireless and internet capability, they will be required to make an application and consult with their school community to identify how they intend to use the technology to improve teaching and learning.
“This is terrific news on it’s own, but on the back of last week’s $4 million funding increase for local schools next year – it’s a real bonanza at the moment in country education.”
Mr Marshall said not only would this increased technological capacity benefit students, it will promote even more innovative classroom practices among teachers.
“There is a learning gap between rural and metropolitan students which needs to be addressed. Country students deserve educational infrastructure that is as good as their city cousins,” Mr Marshall said.
The Connecting Country Schools program will invest up to $46 million to boost wireless access and internet capacity in up to 13,000 learning spaces in around 900 regional schools.
Connecting Country Schools builds on the achievements made since 2013 under the NSW Government’s $80 million Rural and Remote Education Blueprint. The Blueprint used the benefits of technology to establish Aurora College, Australia’s first virtual selective high school giving country students access to specialist subjects and opportunities not available at their local school.