Round Two closed on 9 October 2008.
All secondary schools with students in Years 9 to 12 are eligible to apply. Applications are to be prepared in accordance with the Round Two Guidelines. 
(462.1 KB)
Round Two will continue to be based on the preliminary survey and those schools having a computer to student ratio worse than 1:2 have been identified and advised by DEEWR to apply for the second round of funding.
Round Two will focus on moving all secondary schools to a target computer to student ratio of 1:2. This is based on a national strategic understanding of the information and communication technology (ICT) investment needs of schools around Australia. Stakeholder consultations held in May 2008 across every capital city showed general support for a move to a computer to student benchmark of 1:2, particularly for those schools who were not eligible to apply in Round One.
Please see Section 2.1 ‘Eligibility of schools’ in the Round Two Guidelines for further information.
Schools that have students with disability in Years 9-12 or special education schools are eligible to apply for funding in Round Two for those students to bring the computer to student ratio to 1:2. However, the Government recognises that some students with disability may not benefit from ICT without assistive technology and that increasing the ratio of computers may not be the most appropriate mechanism. We have established an Advisory Group to consider how the Fund can best meet the needs of students with disability. This group is considering a more flexible approach to the purchase of equipment. DEEWR is consulting with education authorities in all states and territories looking at ways to enable schools to purchase assistive technologies that will enhance the computer access for students with disability and give them greater independence. Further advice for schools will be available on the website shortly.
No, the guidelines are the same for all school sectors.
For the purpose of the Fund, schools with multiple campuses will be treated as a single school.
Schools will be required to complete an on-line application form which will be made available through the School Entry Point.
Applications must be submitted using the National Secondary School Computer Fund online application form.
Applications can only be submitted during the application round. We encourage schools to start registering now on School Entry Point (if they have not already done so) as this will ensure fast access to the application form.
When an application form is submitted you will receive an email confirmation that your application has been received. If this advice is not received within 24 hours of an application being lodged, you should contact DEEWR. If any additional information is required, DEEWR will contact the applicant separately.
Information and assistance on the application process can be accessed by contacting us.
Schools which are advised to apply for Round Two of funding will not be precluded from applying for future rounds over the life of the Fund. Only one application from each school will be considered in Round Two.
Each secondary school, if eligible, may apply for up to $1 million over the life of the Fund, including funding to update existing technology every three years. This will be based on the school’s enrolment, need and capacity to use the new ICT equipment effectively.
For further information please consult the National Secondary School Computer Fund Guidelines. (462.1 KB)
Schools that did not reach the target ratio of 1:2 during Round One of the Fund are eligible to apply in Round Two to achieve this objective.
Yes. However, it should be noted that funding will be based on enrolment numbers for the total number of students in Years 9 to 12 across all school groups and/or campuses. Schools with multiple campuses will be treated as a single school.
All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in writing.
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations will also publish a list of the successful schools on this website.
If the application for funding is unsuccessful, the school will receive formal written notification advising of the outcome of their application and brief reasons for the decision.
Applications will not be automatically rolled into subsequent rounds. Should a school be unsuccessful a new application will need to be made to a future round.
Applications from government schools will be assessed by the relevant state and territory education departments and non government schools will be assessed by the relevant Block Grant Authority, who will then provide advice to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The Department will undertake quality assurance checks and make recommendations to the Minister for Education.
For Round Two education authorities will be able to assess the application online.
Please see Section 4. Assessment of Applications in the Round Two Guidelines for detailed information on the assessment criteria and process.
The objective of Round Two is to increase the computer to student ratio to the target computer to student ratio of 1:2. Schools are able to apply for funding to purchase desktop computers and/or laptop computers and/or thin clients.
After purchasing computers, schools can use the remaining funds for the effective deployment of computers. This might include contributions to on-costs, for example, networking, air conditioning, security, contribution to the power supply, internet connection, technical support, servers and software. Residual funds can also be used to purchase other ICT equipment such as interactive whiteboards, data projectors, and digital cameras as set out in the Round Two Guidelines. (462.1 KB)
State, Territory, Catholic and Independent education authorities are responsible for managing the funding on their school’s behalf. Schools are encouraged to work closely with their education authority to maximise the value for money and access support services and advice.
A preliminary survey of the current numbers of computers (less than four years old at June 2008) available for use by students in Years 9 to 12 in secondary schools, was undertaken in February this year by state and territory government education departments, the Associations of Independent Schools and the Catholic Education Offices. The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) then calculated the number of computers against the total number of students in the school, based on 2007 Census data.
Round Two will continue to be based on the preliminary survey and those schools having a computer to student ratio worse than 1:2 have been identified to apply for the second round of funding.
If a school is a new school in 2008 or has a new year(s) 9, 10, 11 or 12 in 2008, the school can provide the appropriate data to their education authority who will forward that information on to DEEWR. DEEWR will recalculate the computer to student ratio for years 9-12 at the school.
In all other cases DEEWR will not update FTE data until the 2008 census is released in early 2009.
Schools that did not participate in the preliminary survey conducted by the education authorities and DEEWR are able to submit their data to their education authority who will forward the information on to DEEWR.
Schools which believe they are eligible to apply in Round Two due to the situations listed above should contact their education authority before 9 September 2008. The education authority will validate the data and forward it to DEEWR.
The Australian Government will enter into funding agreements with state and territory education authorities who will manage funds on behalf of government schools.
The Australian Government will enter into funding agreements with Block Grant Authorities who will manage funds on behalf of non-government (Catholic and Independent) schools.
These authorities are encouraged to take advantage of bulk purchasing arrangements. This will enable economies of scale to be realised and residual funding to be put towards enhancing existing infrastructure, on-costs, effective deployment and other ICT equipment.
State, Territory, Catholic and Independent education authorities have responsibility for technical support and ongoing maintenance of computers and ICT equipment purchased with grants from the National Secondary School Computer Fund.
Through the COAG process, the Australian Government is continuing discussions with state, territory and non government education authorities in relation to funding legitimate and additional on costs.
Decisions about the purchase and leasing of computers and other ICT equipment is the responsibility of the appropriate state, territory, Catholic and Independent education authorities. Please consult with your relevant education authority in determining your school’s ICT plan and needs.
Most schools and school systems will have existing policies for insurance and should extend these arrangements for this initiative.
Along with the launch of Round Two, July 14 will herald the release of the Better Practice Guide: ICT in Schools, developed to help schools with their decisions to deploy ICT under the National Secondary School Computer Fund.
The Guide has been developed by DEEWR in collaboration with an expert Advisory Group drawn from each state and territory education department and the Catholic and Independent schools associations.
The Guide provides advice on planning for ICT, as well as more information on technical, security and infrastructure issues. It links to and builds on frameworks and guidance already being used by schools.
The leasing of computers is permitted under the Program if allowed by the relevant state or territory government department or BGA. The decision to lease or purchase ICT is a financial decision made by the school or education authority. However, it should be noted that funds provided under the Fund are for additional computers to achieve a target ratio of 1 computer for every 2 students. The funds are not to be used to take over or replace existing leases.
In addressing the need for computers and reaching the national target of one computer to two students (1:2), it will be the responsibility of each school (in consultation with their government and non government school system as appropriate) to determine which form of investment will be in line with their long term ICT strategic plan or sector plan, and will best meet the needs of their students.
Funds can be used to enhance existing infrastructure and may be combined with other funding sources including contributions from state and territory grants and school communities. Again, this must be used in the first instance to purchase additional computers to achieve the target ratio of 1:2.
Each secondary school may apply every three years to update existing technology.
State and territory education authorities have primary responsibility for decisions about design, purchase and the use of educational hardware and software to meet the specific needs of their schools. The Australian Government will not play a role in determining the procurement of ICT through the Fund. Purchasing of ICT equipment through the Fund will take place at a state, sector or school level.
It is important to remember that the Australian Government does not directly run schools. This is done by principals, parents, State Education Authorities and Catholic and Independent Education systems.
The National Secondary School Computer Fund is a partnership between the Australian Government and all educational jurisdictions. It will ensure the best equipment, the best technical support, training, infrastructure and resources for a Digital Education Revolution that will see our students gain access to world class education.
The Australian Government is discussing the issue of legitimate and additional costs associated with the implementation of the Fund with education authorities. All Ministers of Education agreed in April 2008 that they strongly support the Digital Education Revolution as a key strategic tool in achieving a revolutionary improvement in Australia’s education and training to world class standards. They acknowledged that the plan to allow savings achieved through bulk purchasing arrangements for computers from the $1,000 unit cost to be spent on their effective deployment would make a significant contribution to the successful implementation of the Fund.
They welcomed the Australian Government’s agreement to build in flexibility in funding agreements to support the timely rollout of computers consistent with jurisdictional ICT plans. Individual education authorities may achieve the computer rollout in different ways based on their current circumstances, specific ICT plans and their assessment of the ICT resources their schools need.
Round One of funding is complete. Round Two opened on the 14 July and will close on the 9 October 2008.
The National Secondary School Computer Fund will be delivered over five years (2008 – 2012). Further advice about future rounds will be provided on the website prior to calls for applications for this purpose.
The Minister for Education announced on 12 June 2008 that 896 secondary schools across Australia would receive 116, 820 new computers through Round One of the Fund. These schools have been identified as being most in need of new school computers with a ratio of one computer for every eight students or worse. The $116 million in funding from Round One of the Fund will bring these schools to a target computer to student ratio of 1 to 2. Round Two opened on 14 July and will close on 9 October 2008 and like Round One, will assist remaining secondary schools with students in Years 9 to 12 to move to a computer to student target ratio of 1 to 2.