You are here: Digital Education Revolution > Features > Articles > Digital Education Revolution - Fact Sheet

Digital Education Revolution - Fact Sheet

The $1.2 billion Digital Education Revolution is at the heart of the Rudd Government’s Education Revolution and will provide secondary students in Australian schools with access to world-class information and communication technology (ICT).

The aim of the Digital Education Revolution is to prepare Australian students for further education, training and employment and to equip them with the skills they need to live, work and succeed in an increasingly digital world.

In the 2008 Budget, the Australian Government announced $1.1 billion over five years for the National Secondary School Computer Fund. This fund will provide grants of up to $1 million to eligible schools to help with the provision of new or upgraded ICT for secondary students in Years 9–12.

A further $100 million is committed to support the deployment of fibre connections to Australian schools, delivering broadband speeds of up to 100 megabits per second.

On this page
  • What has been achieved so far?
  • Where to next?
  • Analysis—Round One Schools Funded

    • What has been achieved so far?

    Preliminary steps

    • In January 2008 the Government conducted a nationwide preliminary survey of computers in schools. The response was impressive with 2879 out of 2956 Australian secondary schools (97%) participating in the survey through their state and territory education authorities, the Catholic Education Commission and the Association of Independent Schools.

    • 946 schools were identified as having a computer to student ratio of 1:8 or worse.

    Results of the Preliminary Survey - February 2008
    Chart 1: Computer to Student Ratio for Schools Years 9 to 12

    Round one

    • Round One of the National Secondary School Computer Fund will deliver over $116 million in funding to schools with a computer to student ratio of 1:8 or worse, to move to a target ratio of 1:2.

    • In March those schools eligible for Round One funding were contacted and encouraged to apply for Round One funding.

    • Applications for round one closed on 4 April 2008 and were assessed by the state and territory authorities and the Block Grant Authorities in the case of the non-government schools.

    • More than 95% of eligible schools applied.

    • A total of 896 schools will benefit from Round One funding. This funding will provide for 116 820 computers to secondary schools across Australia.

    • The major focus of Round One funding is for schools to purchase laptop computers, desktop computers and thin clients (a computer terminal that has its data and applications stored on a hard drive in a remote server).

    • The unit cost of computers has been calculated at $1000. It is anticipated that economies gained through bulk purchasing will provide opportunities to use residual funds to ensure the effective deployment of those computers. This might include contributions to on-costs such as power, security, air-conditioning or network infrastructure. Residual funds may also be used to purchase other ICT equipment, such as interactive whiteboards, data projectors, printers or scanners as set out in the Round One guidelines.

    • Funding agreements for Round One are being negotiated with state and territory education authorities and the Block Grant Authorities (in the case of the non-government schools) to ensure the first stage of funds is delivered before 30 June 2008.


    Results of the Round One Investment - June 2008
    Chart 2: Projected Computer to Student Ratio for Schools Years 9 to 12

    [Return to Top]

    Where to next?

    Round Two

    • The second phase of the National Secondary Schools Computer Fund will be used to bring every secondary school across Australia with students in Years 9-12 to a computer to student ratio of 1:2.

    • Round Two applications will open on 14 July 2008 and guidelines will be available on the Digital Education Revolution website from early July.

    Consultation

    • The National Secondary School Computer Fund is a national and local level partnership covering educational jurisdictions and schools across Australia. The Australian Government will continue to work in close partnership with state and territory governments, and non-government education systems to ensure the best equipment, the best technical support, training, infrastructure and resources for the Digital Education Revolution are delivered to Australia’s secondary school students.

    • Consultation with key stakeholders will continue throughout the implementation of the initiative.

    • The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations is also considering the requirements of students with special needs in both mainstream and special schools. A national working group is being convened to provide advice on this important matter.

    • Schools are encouraged to participate in and monitor the Digital Education Revolution.
    [Return to Top]

    Analysis—Round One Schools Funded

    State Government Sector
      No of Schools No of Students* % of Total Gov Students Total Funding Amount % of Total Gov Funding % of Total Round 1 Funding
    NSW 302 143,323 69% $56,240,000 68% 48%
    VIC 89 35,425 17% $14,672,000 18% 13%
    QLD 12 5,143 2% $1,961,000 2% 2%
    WA 38 3,064 1% $1,243,000 2% 1%
    SA 47 10,779 5% $4,442,000 5% 4%
    TAS 13 1,597 1% $634,000 1% 1%
    ACT 18 8,029 4% $2,847,000 3% 2%
    NT 24 1,105 1% $443,000 1% 0%
      543 208,465 100% $82,482,000 100% 71%

    Independent Sector
      No of Schools No of Students* % of Total Indep Students Total Funding Amount % of Total Indep Funding % of Total Round 1 Funding
    NSW 77 10,750 39% $4,796,000 41% 4%
    VIC 39 4,915 18% $2,171,000 18% 2%
    QLD 39 5,598 21% $2,338,000 20% 2%
    WA 29 3,239 12% $1,403,000 12% 1%
    SA 14 1,781 7% $758,000 6% 1%
    TAS 6 246 1% $119,000 1% 0%
    ACT 5 602 2% $171,000 1% 0%
    NT 2 97 0% $43,000 0% 0%
      211 27,228 100% $11,767,000 100% 10%

    Catholic Sector
      No of Schools No of Students* % of Total Catholic Students Total Funding Amount % of Total Catholic Funding % of Total Round 1 Funding
    NSW 76 33,682 61% $13,802,000 61% 12%
    VIC 16 7,878 14% $3,286,000 15% 3%
    QLD 19 6,203 11% $2,505,000 11% 2%
    WA 19 5,308 10% $2,149,000 10% 2%
    SA 3 621 1% $283,000 1% 0%
    TAS 4 695 1% $294,000 1% 0%
    ACT     0%   0% 0%
    NT 5 581 1% $252,000 1% 0%
      142 54,968 100% $22,571,000 100% 19%

    All Sectors
      No of Schools No of Students* % of Total Students Total Funding Amount % of Total Funding
    Gov - All States 543 208,465 72% $82,482,000 71%
    Independent - All States 211 27,228 9% $11,799,000 10%
    Catholic - All States 142 54,968 19% $22,571,000 19%
    896 290,661   $116,852,000  100%

    All Sectors together (ie. Government, Independent and Catholic sectors)
      No of Schools No of Students* % of Total Students Total Funding Amount % of Total Funding
    NSW 455 187,755 65% $74,838,000 64%
    VIC 144 48,218 17% $20,129,000 17%
    QLD 70 16,944 6% $6,804,000 6%
    WA 86 11,611 4% $4,763,000 4%
    SA 64 13,181 5% $5,483,000 5%
    TAS 23 2,538 1% $1,047,000 1%
    ACT 23 8,631 3% $3,018,000 3%
    NT 31 1,783 1% $738,000 1%
      896 290,661 100% $116,852,000 100%

    * Students in Year 9 - 12 based on 2007 Schools Census.

    [Return to Top]

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy | Feedback