Two Irish technology firms have won significant contracts as part of a UK schools renovation project. John Collinsreports.
While the Department of Education has secured €252 million in funding for technology in schools as part of the National Development Plan, this figure pales in comparison to the amount that will be pumped into British schools in the coming years. Under the ambitious Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, the British government has earmarked approximately £46 billion (€68 billion) to rebuild or renovate every secondary school in the UK over the next 15 years.
A significant proportion - about 10 per cent - of this investment will be set aside for the application of information and communications technologies.
The first of the UK's 132 authorities to receive funding under BSF is Bristol Schools' Authority, with two Irish-based firms winning a major part of the initial £8 million spend on technology.
The educational division of Northgate Information Solutions, based in Belfast, is part of a consortium which won the overall contract for the Bristol project. It chose Limerick-based Original Solutions to create a managed learning environment.
According to Martin Delaney, chief operations officer with Original Solutions, this is a portal-based system which provides information and services to the four main stakeholders in the education process - students, teachers, parents and school administrators.
The managed learning environment gives access to such resources as timetables, test results, secure communications with others on the system, and even nutritional information.
Student welfare is also part of the system, and will enable students to highlight problems such as bullying.
Given the attachment of teenagers to their mobile phones, the mobile aspect of the system is key. Students can communicate with teachers using SMS messages, while parents can be alerted by text if a student fails to turn up for class.
Delaney says the contract is worth close to €2 million to his company and he is hopeful that, in partnership with Northgate, it can win further business with school authorities in the UK as BSF is rolled out.
