At COAG on 29 November 2008, the Australian Government announced additional funding of $807 million to assist education authorities with the costs associated with the National Secondary School Computer Fund. The funding will be paid as a one off payment before the end of this financial year.
This brings total funding for the National Secondary School Computer Fund to $1.9 billion.
This funding package provides funding to meet the costs of installation and maintenance of the additional computers purchased through the Fund.
The Australian Government conducted a preliminary survey of computers less than four years old available for students in Years 9-12 in secondary schools in Australia in early 2008. This survey found that almost one-third of schools had a ratio of one computer to eight students or worse.
These schools were targeted in Round One of the National Secondary School Computer Fund as being most in need of investment in ICT. In June 2008 the Minister for Education, the Hon Julia Gillard MP announced that 896 schools were successful in Round One and funding was provided for 116,820 computers.
Rounds One and Two have aimed to bring all secondary schools to a target ratio of 1:2 computers to students. Future rounds of the Fund will aim to bring the computer to student ratio to 1:1.
There are approximately 990,000 students in Australian secondary schools in Years 9-12. To bring every student in Years 9-12 to a computer to student ratio of one to one, 990,000 computers are required. There are already over 280,000 computers in secondary schools. Installation costs for these computers have already been paid by the education authorities.
The Australian Government will provide funding for costs associated with the deployment of additional computers (approximately 710,000), that is computers deployed to move schools to a 1 to 1 computer to student ratio by 2011 and which are additional to those computers which were identified in the preliminary survey as being less than 4 years old as at 30 June 2008.
This funding package also includes a contribution of funding for education authorities for replacement computers after four years.
How much extra funding will be provided?
The Australian Government will provide a total of $2,500 for each additional computer provided under the Fund (that is a combination of $1,000 per computer provided under existing Digital Education Revolution funds and an extra $1,500 provided under the new Australian Government funding commitment). Computers provided under the Fund which are replacing those in place at the time of the preliminary survey (aged four years or older) will continue to attract funding of $1,000 per unit.
The aim of the first two rounds of the NSSCF is to bring all schools in Australia to 1 to 2 computer to student ratio. Schools which have not applied under Round One or Round Two for any reason, including uncertainty over the issue of on-costs, will be given an opportunity to apply under a supplementary Round Two process.
The Australian Government will provide funding to cover the on-costs associated with the deployment of all additional computers provided under the first two rounds of the NSSCF.
The share of additional funding provided to education authorities under the new Australian Government funding commitment will be determined by the actual number of additional computers provided under the first two rounds, including the supplementary Round Two process.
At the conclusion of Round Two, including the supplementary Round Two process, all schools in Australia will have been provided with the opportunity to obtain funds to bring them to a 1 to 2 computer to student ratio, including funding to address on-costs associated with deployment of additional computers.
Further information about this funding will be provided to schools and education authorities shortly.
The Review of Legitimate and Additional Financial Implications of the National Secondary School Computer Fund is now available.