Just half of schools have full broadband connections

ONLY half of the country’s schools have been fully connected for broadband internet use but the Department of Education insists it should have the rest of them hooked up by its own deadline of next March.

Under an €18 million Government and industry connectivity programme, announced in February last year, every school was to have broadband access by the end of this year. This facility offers faster download speeds for educational content and greater access to multimedia applications.

The deadline was extended by three months, and roll-out of the connections began last summer following contract negotiations with the department.