Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Almost all schools online

Virtually all elementary and secondary schools in Canada had computers and were connected to the Internet during the 2003/04 school year, according to a new survey.

Overall, more than 1 million computers were available to students and teachers, and about nine out of 10 of these computers were connected to the Internet.

However, while information and communications technology (ICT) has provided students with a new learning tool, it hasn't arrived without a number of challenges.

According to school principals, most teachers possessed the required technical skills to use ICT for preparing report cards, taking attendance or recording grades.

Costs biggest concern

However, slightly less than half of school principals felt that the majority of their teachers were adequately prepared to engage their students effectively in the use of ICT to enhance their learning.

One of the biggest concerns among principals was costs. ICT management has become more complex, putting increased pressure on school administrators. Slightly more than two-thirds of principals reported that getting sufficient funding for technology was an extensive challenge.

Principals in large schools were more likely to report financial-related ICT issues than those in small and medium schools.

Even so, nine out of 10 principals agreed that ICTs were worth the investment. They also agreed that ICTs enable the curriculum to be more challenging and enriching.

You can read the report Connectivity and ICT Integration in Canadian Elementary and Secondary Schools: First Results from the Information and Communications Technologies in Schools Survey, 2003/04, on our website.

For more information, contact Client Services (1-800-307-3382), Centre for Education Statistics.

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© 2004, Statistics Canada.