A $1 million investment in the public education system will see all senior high schools in the province receive new computers and other hardware for high speed computer labs. Each library resource centre will also receive a multimedia computer.
The Honourable Chester Gillan, Minister of Education, said the Department of Education has secured the funding for this project through the Regional Economic Development Agreement.
"Information and communication technology will be used across the high school curriculum as well as in specific courses," said Minister Gillan. "Information technology activities are now beginning to be integrated into Language Arts and Mathematics courses at the high school level."
Minister Gillan said the demands being placed on school library resource centres have increased substantially in recent years.
"This project will also see multimedia computers distributed to these centres," said Minister Gillan. "Access to the Internet and software programs is essential to ensure our students maintain high information technology literacy skills."
The Windows 95 computers at the resource centres will be able to maintain library circulation data and catalogue systems.
Elaine Noonan, Deputy Minister of Education, said the computers have been ordered and will be moved into the labs and resource centres over the summer months.
"We anticipate the computers will be in place by September 1, 2000," said Deputy Minister Noonan.
Deputy Minister Noonan said all senior high schools will have computer labs with identical hardware providing a consistent environment for teachers and students across the province. The computers will run Windows 98 operating systems. Each library resource centre will receive a computer on which students can access digital resources and school library software.
Department of Education representatives have met with the province's three school boards.
"The next step is for our project team to meet with each of the senior high school principals to discuss where the labs will be located, which courses will require use of the labs and whether other courses will be able to integrate information technology," said Deputy Minister Noonan.
The project team for the Communication and Information Technology Project includes Department of Education employees Linda Trenton, Manager of Systems and Technology Services; Guy Albert, Education Technology Coordinator; Peter Griesbauer, Technology Consultant; Barb Trainor, Secondary Education Coordinator and Judy Davies, Resource-Based Learning Consultant. A consultant for French Programs and a technical manager will be named at a later date.