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TECHNOLOGICAL PLAN FOR EDUCATION

The reinforcement of the qualifications and competencies of the Por tuguese people is critical to
building a knowledge society in Por tugal. Accordingly, it is therefore the main goal of the
education policy of the XVII Constitutional Government.

It is essential to value and modernise schools, to create the physical conditions that favour
educational success among students, and reinforce the role of information and communication
technologies (ICT) as basic tools for teaching and learning in this new era.

Schools have housed several computer infrastructure projects over the past decade. They have
benefited from the first initiatives to generalise Internet access, and witnessed the introduction in
the curricula of a new compulsory subject of ICT.

In addition, schools have played a main role in bridging the digital divide. They have been the
cornerstone of digital inclusion among Por tuguese students and have therefore stimulated the
diffusion of the ICT among Por tuguese families.

With the Lisbon Strategy, the National Strategy for Sustainable Development, the Technological
Plan and the National Strategic Reference Framework 2007-2013, the XVII Constitutional
Government assumes a commitment: the technological modernisation of schools.

TECHNOLOGICAL PLAN FOR EDUCATION | 3

The integration of the ICT in teaching and learning methods, as well as in the school’s
management systems, is an essential condition for building the school of the future and thereby
ensuring educational achievement for new generations of Por tuguese people.

However, there is a long way to go.

The Ministry of Education’s diagnostic study on the technological modernisation of the
educational system in Por tugal concluded that:

a) Schools have an unequal relationship with ICT. It is necessary to reinforce and modernise
the IT equipment of most Por tuguese schools, to increase speed of Internet connections
and to build structured and efficient local area networks.

b) ICT ought to be totally and transversally integrated in teaching and learning methods. It
means that we need to reinforce the IT infrastructure, in order to develop a coherent
strategy to make IT educational contents available and to offer ICT training and
cer tification for teachers.

c) Schools need a coherent model of digital processes that ensures the efficiency of school
management.

These challenges demand a swift and effective answer, and the Government made a strong
decision to face them. Our ambition is to place Por tugal among the five most advanced European
countries in terms of school’s technological modernisation by the year 2010.

4 | TECHNOLOGICAL PLAN FOR EDUCATION

The focus on educational technological modernisation has an unmatched impor tance and
dimension, and it concerns the whole community. Technological modernisation will constitute a
qualitative leap for schools, as they will accede to several new areas in the realm of knowledge.

The School will be the centre of a network of projects targeted at what really matters: to teach
and learn better and more, teachers and students alike. This is the commitment under taken by
the Technological Plan for Education.

The Prime-Minister, José Sócrates Car valho Pinto de Sousa
Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 137/2007
Presidency of the Council of Ministers, August 16th, 2007


1. INTRODUCTION

z
The Lisbon Strategy and the Education and Training 2010 Programme have defined a set of guidelines for
Europe, aiming to fully integrate European citizens within the knowledge society. The development of
competencies in information and communication technologies (ICT) and their transversal integration
within the learning and teaching processes have become natural goals for educational systems.

In Por tugal, the Strategic National Plan set for th a group of goals, actions and concrete measures targeted
at the technological modernisation of education.

Figure No. 1
European and national goals for modernising education

Lisbon Strategy: Implications for education Ministry of Education: Goals

Europe as the world’s most dynamic and competitive To ensure the supply of computers in schools
knowledge-based economy
To support the development of digital contents
To increase the quality and efficiency of educational
To focus on teachers’ ICT training
and learning system
To promote the generalisation of e-portfolios in schools
To develop competencies for the knowledge society
To foster the development and use of ICT by citizens
with special needs
To ensure universal access to ICT
To reinforce the dissemination of good practices
and of progress monitoring systems
To make learning more attractive

To promote open source while reinforcing privacy,
To reinforce the connection with the professional world safety and reliability of ICT systems

In order to ensure the rigorous and rational implementation of the necessary political measures, the
Ministry of Education has conducted a diagnostic study concerning technological infrastructures and the
use of ICT in lower and upper secondary schools, so as to identify the main barriers and the factors that
lead to technological modernisation. The study also identified international reference models so as to
disseminate good foreign practices throughout Por tugal, adapted to the national context.

The analysis showed the great progress observed in Por tugal over the past five years.


Regarding the main indicators of technological modernisation – number of students per computer and
number of students per computer with Internet access – Por tugal has shown improvements of 40 and 60
per cent, respectively. However, it shows values way above those seen in the EU15 and in Europe's most
developed countries.

Figure No. 2
Main indicators in the technological modernisation of education

Number of students per computer (1) Number of students per computer with
Internet connection (1)

38.9
40% improvement 60% improvement

19.1

11.5 15.7
8.3
6.0 9.4
6.2

2001 2006 2001 2006

(1) All schools Portugal EU 15 Finland

Source: Educational Statistics and Planning Office; Empirica Report 8/2006.

An international analysis evaluating the degree of technological modernisation in education based on three
critical factors – access, competencies and motivation – has shown that the main obstacles to
modernisation in Por tugal are related to needs regarding ICT infrastructures.

Figure No. 3
Main barriers to educational technological modernisation. International analysis

Access (61.5%) Competencies (30.4%)

Schools’ ICT equipment level 15% ICT use
Internet connection speed 35.9% 8% Confidence in ICT use
5.6%
5% 1.8%

Motivation (10.4%) 3.6%

Positive attitude toward the use There are no barriers to use = 25.1%
of ICT and its educational benefits

Source: Empirica Country Brief 2006.


The diagnostic study analysed the current state of technological modernisation based on four essential
dimensions: technology, contents, training, and investment and financing. Improvement oppor tunities were
observed in all four areas, par ticularly in the technology area, and thereby confirming the results of the
comparative analysis.

Figure No. 4
Limitations to the technological modernisation of education. Main conclusions of the diagnostic study

Technology Contents Training

Insufficient and old computers
Scarcity of digital content and
Teacher training rarely centred on the
educational applications
Lack of other equipments usage of ICT in education
(for example, video projectors)
Cooperative platforms with limited
Broadband with reduced speed uses and functions
and limited reach
Absence of ICT competencies certification
Non-structured, insufficient Scarce computerisation in
local area networks school management

Rising concern with school safety Few competencies to ensure
Reduced usage of e-mail as
technical support
a communication channel
Insufficient technical support

Lack of coordination between
Investment Insufficient investment in Schools rely heavily on their the Ministry of Education
and Financing technology for education own revenues and private initiative

As demonstrated, Por tugal shows weaknesses in all the areas analysed.

On Technology:

With respect to computers, Por tugal reveals poor numbers, aggravated by the high
percentage of computers more than three years old (56 per cent). Therefore, it is
necessary to increase and requalify the existing computers and to ensure that
technologically underdeveloped schools are able to catch-up. For a greater ICT usage
by all agents of the educational community, it is imperative to increase the provision
of hardware for free usage outside class periods.

There are also shor tages of other equipments such as video projectors, printers and
interactive whiteboards. The ratios of equipment per student and per room are highly
reduced, and most of such equipment is over three years old.Therefore, it is necessary
to urgently reinforce the distribution of this equipment.


When it comes to connection, most schools have limited access speeds, while a high
number of computers (more than 20,000) do not have Internet connection yet. Plus,
over two-thirds of the schools hire more than one Internet provider, representing a
potential expense duplication of approximately 20 per cent. It is critical to revise the
present connection model in teaching establishments in order to ensure proper
service levels and efficiency of the investments.

Although over 90 per cent of schools have local area networks, insufficiencies are
found in 30 per cent of the teaching establishments, where these networks have grown
inefficient and without structure and are restricted to predefined and limited areas,
thus limiting their usage. Their requalification is essential in order to broaden Internet
usage across school areas, and to offer new services and applications.

The considerable increase of highly valuable equipment in teaching establishments can
be a window of opportunity for increased theft, robberies and vandalism in schools.This
requires a new approach to safety-related issues regarding school spaces, equipment
and the physical integrity of students, teachers and staff, which is where ICT can
perform a major role. Nowadays, only half the schools (49 per cent) have electronic
security systems, and inefficiencies are shown in their operative and management
models. It is urgent to find a clear answer to security concerns, and that answer ought
to be found within the technological modernisation of schools’ infrastructures.

The increasing number of devices and the growing complexity of the schools'
technological infrastructure, as well as an ever-growing dependency on ICT, stress the
need for qualified technical suppor t. The generalisation of several equipment and
application suppliers, with restricted performance fields, points out the impor tance of
first-rate technical suppor t in order to solve simple but frequently occurring problems
and to direct to the proper agents the issues requiring specialised suppor t.

On Contents:

The path toward a knowledge society imposes a change in the traditional teaching and
learning methods, as well as an investment in the availability of tools, contents and
adequate educational materials.The use of digital contents and applications in Por tugal
is significantly lower than in the EU15 countries. For instance, the use of such contents
in the classroom is only about 60 per cent of Finland’s. Given the impor tance that
these resources represent in the adoption and use of technology, it is essential to
develop digital contents and applications in Por tuguese, as well as to ensure their
quality cer tification. It is also necessary to encourage their use so as to ensure the
creation of a dynamic market.


Vir tual knowledge and learning platforms play a key role in promoting content
production and use. Internationally, the development of custom-made e-learning
platforms, side by side with the promotion of their use, is high among the priorities of
political measures. In Por tugal, one witnesses the first steps in the use of knowledge
sharing platforms. Never theless, some limitations regarding the available functions and
the type of use are observed. Due to the critical role these platforms play, it is crucial
to rethink the present model to ensure that all its catalysing potential for technological
modernisation is exploited.

Regarding schools’ administrative management, the range of digital processes is reduced
and only 5 per cent of schools use electronic document-management systems. The
development of electronic platforms suppor ting school administrative management,
incorporating the digitalization of processes such as registrations, attendance record or
minutes, is very relevant to technological modernisation of schools.

Despite the increase in equipment and the effor ts to increase the use of e-mail, less
than one-third of schools make e-mail addresses available to teachers and staff
versus 70 per cent in Europe. It is impor tant to speed up the adoption and use of
e-mail due to its dynamising effect on the use of technology and the increase in
management efficiency.

On Competencies:

A significant effor t is seen in training teachers and students, with the institution of
technology training modules for teachers (attended by over 30,000 teachers per year)
and the creation of subjects dedicated to introduction to ICT. Never theless, the use of
ICT by teachers and students is much lower than in EU15 countries, and the deficit in
competencies is still shown as a strong barrier to usage.

It is impor tant to reassess the present teacher training model following reference
countries, to establish goals and mechanisms for cer tification of competencies, and to
design training programmmes organised in continuous and progressive modules.

Considering that in two-thirds of schools the maintenance of technological
infrastructure is guaranteed by teachers and that the number of schools resorting to
specialized technical services is a quarter of the EU15 average, it is urgent to ensure
appropriate qualification of agents in charge of technological infrastructures and
technology dissemination. 75 per cent of schools state the need for this kind of support.


On Investment and Financing:

Por tugal presents levels of investment in technology in education that are significantly
lower than the reference countries (approximately 48 per cent of the EU15 average).
Own revenues mainly suppor t about 80 per cent of schools’ expenses in ICT, a
financing model that emphasizes asymmetries and frequently gives rise to ineffective
investment decisions.

There are no ar ticulated mechanisms to promote private initiative in the process of
technological modernisation in schools.

To ensure the success of a technological modernisation process it is important to
increase investment and review the formats of financing. Just as was done in the
reference countries, it is fundamental to create mechanisms for greater private initiative
participation in the technological modernisation process of national education.

Lastly, despite the progress witnessed over the past decade, there are improvement oppor tunities for
Por tugal in all areas analysed. The countr y is still behind when compared to European countries given
that, political measures, on one hand, and individual initiatives of educational communities, on the other
hand, were not enough to produce a deep change in Por tugal’s panorama of technological modernisation
in education.

It is crucial, in this context, to redefine the technological modernisation process for Por tugal, doing so in a
manner that incorporates good international practices and adapts them to the national context. Only thus
will it be possible to overcome the delay and set the country side by side with Europe’s best.

The technological modernisation of schools is a great challenge for Por tugal. First, it demands the adoption
of a national strategy with very precise guidelines, goals and objectives; secondly, it requires an action plan
clearly defining the measures and means necessary for the achievement of those objectives; thirdly, it
demands an ar ticulate and coordinated intervention of all agents involved in the execution and follow-up
of these measures.

That is the reason for the Technological Plan for Education, herewith presented.


2. VISION AND GOALS

The deficit of educational technological modernisation in Por tugal clearly justifies the adoption of an
ambitious national strategy and action plan that will allow the country to not only recover from the
mentioned delays but also to position itself among Europe’s best within a reasonably shor t period of time:
from five to seven years.

The vision defined and shared by the agents in the educational community is clear : to place Por tugal among
the five most advanced European countries in terms of technological modernisation of education.

To guide the execution and follow-up of the Plan’s political measures, clear goals for the 2007-2010 period
have been defined:

To achieve the ratio of two students per computer with Internet connection in 2010.
To ensure high-speed broadband Internet connection of, at least, 48 Mbps, in all
schools by 2010.
To ensure that, by 2010, teachers and students use ICT in at least 25 per cent of classes.
To generalise the use of electronic communication means, making e-mail addresses
available to every student and teacher by 2010.
To ensure that, by 2010, 90 per cent of teachers have their ICT competencies cer tified.
To cer tify 50 per cent of students in ICT by 2010.

Figure No. 5
Vision and goals for the technological modernisation of teaching in Portugal

To place Portugal among the five most advanced European countries
Vision
in terms of technological modernisation of education

Goals EU15 average (2006) Portugal (2007) Portugal (2010)

High-speed broadband Internet connection 6 Mbps 4 Mbps _ 48 Mbps
>

Number of students per PC with Internet connection 8.3 12.8 2

Percentage of teachers with ICT certification 25% – 90%

Source: Educational Statistics and Planning Office


To efficiently achieve these ambitious goals it will be crucial to integrate and coordinate policy measures,
to avoid dispersing effor ts and investments, and to count upon the par ticipation of the business sector and
non-business private sector.

Based on the conducted diagnostic study, four key axes were identified: «Technology», «Contents»,
«Training» and «Investment and Financing». These fields of action are interdependent, so that a non-
coordinated performance will not only limit the swiftness of results but also the success of such initiatives.
The plan of technological modernisation is structured along these four axes, and it defines coherent and
concer ted intervention mechanisms between them all.

Figure No. 6
Axes of the Technological Plan for Education

Towards modernisation

Goals

Technological Plan for Education


Investment and Financing

The Technological Plan for Education considers not only direct intervention measures but also indirect
measures that stimulate demand, thus allowing the maximization and optimisation of the contributions and
investments of all agents.

Accordingly, the strategy considers the main inter vening agents, the interactions and interdependencies
between agents and areas of inter vention, the factors that induce and inhibit the efficiency of action in
each axis, as well as the projects to be implemented and the characteristics thereof (implementation
format, management indicators, main entities to involve, investment and financing needs, implementation
calendar, etc.).


3. TECHNOLOGICAL PLAN FOR EDUCATION

The Technological Plan for Education is structured in three main axes – «Technology», «Contents» and
«Training»– a framework in which a set of key projects will be developed, intended as a response to the
inhibition factors identified in the diagnostic repor t regarding the use of technology in teaching in Por tugal.
Transversally to those axes, initiatives will be developed in order to surpass the constraints observed at the
investment and financing level.

Figure No. 7
Axes and main projects of the Technological Plan for Education


Technological Kit (Kit Tecnológico) ICT Competencies Training and
School Portal (Portal da Escola) Certification (Cotmpetências TIC)
High-speed broadband Internet
(Internet de Alta Velocidade) Electronic Assessment
(Avaliação Electrónica)
Internet in the Classroom. Local
Simplex School (Escola Simplex)
Area Networks. (Internet na Sala
de Aula. Redes de Área Local.) ICT Internships (Estágios TIC)

School Card (Cartão da Escola)
Institutional Portal of the Ministry of Education
(Portal Institucional do Ministério da Educação) ICT Academies (Academias TIC)
School Safety (escol@segura)

Investment EU funding Fund for Inclusion in Education Technological patronage
and Financing (Financiamento Comunitário) (Fundo para a Inclusão na Educação) (Mecenato Tecnológico)

3.1 Technology

The insufficiency of ICT infrastructure constitutes the main inhibiting factor for the use of technology in
teaching. The measures of the Technological Plan for Education to implement in the «Technology» axis are
intended to address the main barriers observed in terms of accesses and infrastructures, namely:

The lack of computers and other IT devices in schools, such as printers, video
projectors and interactive boards, and their obsolete character in many situations.
The lack of access to equipment by students, teachers and staff.
The unavailability of Internet access in all computers, with insufficient speed and
covering limited areas in the teaching establishments.
Non-structured and ineffective local area networks.


Fur thermore, the growing needs at the infrastructure level and the accentuated increase in the number of
equipment in schools have come to emphasize the need for intervention at the level of:

The technical suppor t in teaching establishments for ICT infrastructure management
and maintenance operations.
The safety of equipments and schools, of students, teachers and staff.

In this context, the implementation of the following projects has been considered a priority:

Figure No. 8
Projects to be implemented in the «Technology» axis

A
Axis Technology

Intervention Computers Student cards
Areas Support equipment Electronic security systems
Internet connection Technical support to schools
Local area networks

Projects Key Projects

Technological Kit (Kit Tecnológico)
Increase in the number of computers and support equipment
Increase in equipment availability to use outside class periods
High-Speed Broadband Internet (Internet de Alta Velocidade)
Revision of the connection model
Internet in the Classroom. Local Area Networks.
(Internet na Sala de Aula. Redes de Área Local.)
Restructuring local area networks
School Card (Cartão da Escola)
General-use of student e-card platforms
School Safety (escol@segura)
General use of electronic safety systems

Other projects

Technological Support Centre for Schools
(CATE – Centro de Apoio Tecnológico às Escolas)


3.1.1 Key Project - Technological Kit (Kit Tecnológico)

Figure No. 9
Technological Kit Project

Concept Interactive whiteboards, computers connected to the Internet, and video projectors:
reinforce IT equipment in the classroom

2 students per computer in 2010
Goals To improve the ratio of students per computer connected to broadband Internet
To increase the amount of support equipment

Recipients Lower and upper secondary schools

Framework

The limited number of computers and suppor t equipment such as printers, interactive whiteboards and
video projectors, and the age of such equipment, are barriers to the use of technology in the teaching
process. This barrier prevents the completion of ambitious EU goals concerning the number of students
per computer.

In this context, it is crucial to increase the number of computers and suppor t equipment in schools, and
to promote their use in the classroom and in school management.

Goals

To promote the use of technology in the teaching process, providing all schools with a proper number of
computers, printers, video projectors and interactive whiteboards, in order to achieve the following goals:

To achieve the ratio of two students per computer by 2010.
To ensure that no school exceeds a ratio of five students per computer.
To ensure the existence of a video projector in all classrooms.
To ensure the availability of an interactive board in every three classrooms.
To ensure equipment renovation, guaranteeing that the propor tion of equipment
older than three years does not exceed 20 per cent.
To ensure the availability of computers and printers for free use at school, achieving a
ratio of five students per every free-access computer and of three teachers per every
free-access computer.


Main measures

The project is based on the following measures:

To provide lower and upper secondary schools with:

310,000 computers by 2010.
9,000 interactive whiteboards per year until 2010.
25,000 video projectors by 2010.

To celebrate maintenance and equipment renewal contracts with equipment suppliers
on behalf of teaching institutions.

Operational management indicators

In order to control its management and internal execution, this project should adopt the following indicators:

Number of students per computer.
Number of classrooms per interactive whiteboard.
Number of classrooms per video projector.
Percentage of computers and suppor t equipment more than three years old.
Number of computers and printers available for free use by students, teachers and staff.

Main participating entities

Ministry of Education: Regional Directorates of Education; schools’ executive councils and
school groups.
Computer equipment manufacturers and distributors.
Financial institutions, critical for the definition of financing options allowing harmony between
annual investment levels and the constant renewal of equipment.


3.1.2 Key Project – High Speed Broadband Internet (Internet de Alta Velocidade)

Figure No. 10
High-Speed Broadband Internet Project

Concept To increase the rate of broadband Internet access among schools to at least 48 Mbps by 2010

To ensure high Internet access speeds for the connection of all computers
Goals All lower and upper secondary schools with at least 48 Mbps by 2010
- 4 Mbps in September 2007
The first-cycle schools with under a hundred students will have 1 Mbps in September 2007

Recipients Lower and upper secondary schools and primary schools

Framework

Connection limitations represent significant hurdles to the use of technology in teaching.

Most of the schools show limited access speed, and approximately 20,000 computers are not connected
to the Internet. Moreover, two-thirds of the schools hire more than one Internet access provider,
representing a potential expense duplication of approximately 20 per cent.

It is therefore fundamental to review the present connection model in schools in order to maximize the
investment efficiency and ensure proper speeds, taking into account:

The importance of broadband Internet connection for the technological modernisation of
education.
The growth of the amounts of equipment to be connected.
The greater use of software and applications demanding bandwidth.

Goals

To promote the use of technology, ensuring that all computers in schools have Internet broadband
connection with proper speed, maximizing the efficiency of investments under the following goals:

To progressively increase the minimum speed of Internet connection in schools to
4 Mbps in 2007 and to 48 MBbps by 2010.
To ensure that all school computers are connected to broadband Internet by 2010
and that the ratio of students with broadband Internet connection is 2: 1 in 2010.
To ensure the ubiquity and safety of access.


Main measures

To ensure the achievement of the previous goals, the following measures should be enforced:

High-speed broadband Internet connection for all schools:

With a speed of 24 Mbps in 2008, aiming to progressively achieve a connection
speed of up to 48 Mbps by 2010.
Hiring proper levels of service with schools’ connection service suppliers.
Obtaining proper solutions for filtering and safety.

Internet connection in 100% of school computers by 2010.


In order to control its management and internal execution, this project should adopt the following
indicators:

Speed of Internet connection.
Percentage of computers with broadband Internet connection.
Number of students per computer with Internet connection.


school groups.
Foundation for the National Scientific Computing.
Main suppliers of connection services.


3.1.3 Key Project – Internet in the Classroom. Local Area Networks
(Internet na Sala de Aula. Redes de Área Local.)

Figure No. 11
Internet in the Classroom Project

Concept To ensure Internet access in all classrooms and all school spaces

To allow students and teachers to have Internet access in the classrooms
Goals
To enable computerisation of school management


Framework

The present local area network infrastructure does not satisfy the agents’ connection and mobility needs
and is a setback to the increased use of technology.

There are local area networks in nearly all schools. However, in one-third of the schools the local area
networks are not structured and in most establishments they are confined to predefined and limited areas,
thus restricting their use.

The maintenance and management operations for local area networks in schools are, in most cases, left to
teachers and administrative staff. This keeps the agents away from their educational and management
functions and spawns deficiencies in the administration and network operation.

In this context it is critical to restructure schools’ current local area networks, giving them the functionality
needed to provide ubiquitous and safe use of the Internet and intranets.

It is also essential to review the school suppor t model so as to allow efficient specialized technical
suppor t and reduce the placement of educational agents in activities that are non-educational and/or
management-related.

Goals

To promote the use of technology in the teaching and learning processes, as well as in the management of
administrative processes, thus giving schools an infrastructure of communication networks to suppor t the
use of technology and Internet in a safe and ubiquitous way.


Main measures

This project should implement the following measures:

To implement local area networks in all schools, with remote access and safe
network separation.
To implement cable and wireless access points in classrooms and in the main study and
leisure areas.
To implement a central system to suppor t the operation and management of local
area networks.



Percentage of schools with structured local area networks;
Percentage of school area to be supplied (for instance, classrooms, study halls and
leisure rooms, etc.) with access to the Internet and intranet.
Number of classrooms with Internet access.


school groups.
Computer manufacturers and distributers; Cable installation companies and suppliers of
services for the operation of local area networks.
Financial institutions, crucial for the definition of financing options that allow for
harmonisation between annual investment levels and the constant renewal of infrastructure.


3.1.4 Key Project – School Card (Cartão da Escola)

Figure No. 12
School Card Project

Concept Generalise the use of student e-cards with several functionalities such as access control,
attendance record and electronic purse

Goals To increase efficiency and safety in schools


Framework

The implementation of student e-card platforms increases safety, represents a major efficiency gain for
schools, and generates the use of technology by teachers, staff and parents, fulfilling, among other needs:

The suppression of cash exchange.
The control of student entrances and exits.
The ability to consult the administrative process, academic record or student
consumptions.

58 per cent of schools have already implemented student card management systems. However, the range
of available services is reduced in most schools.

Fur thermore, the current process of implementing these platforms causes inefficiencies:The school has the
autonomy to decide about the implementation of student e-cards systems. If it chooses to implement the
cards, it is up to the school to choose a supplier. Thus, platforms from more than ten different suppliers
have been implemented, giving rise to difficulties in electronic information exchange between schools, thus
rendering the investment inefficient.

Due to the added safety and efficiency they enable, it is crucial to generalise to all schools the use of these
platforms and key functions, such as access control and cash replacement.

Likewise, it is fundamental to ensure that the platforms used are compatible with one another, so as to
allow the tracing of the student record during his stay at school, as well as to optimise the use and
development of additional functions.


Goals

To promote the use of technology, supplying all schools with student card platforms.

To increase school safety, ensuring the availability of access control and electronic purse functions.

To increase the efficiency of management processes, ensuring the general implementation of compatible
platforms that allow the follow-up of students’ records during their stay at school.

Main measures

The project covers the establishment of par tnerships with private entities, ensuring the implementation of
the student e-card platforms in schools with the above mentioned key-functions. The systems can have
extra functions.


indicators:

Percentage of schools with student e-card platforms.
Percentage of schools with electronic card systems per type of available function (for
instance, percentage of schools making available the function of access control,
attendance record or electronic purse, as well as consumption records, administrative
process records, and/or student academic records, among others).
Agent satisfaction regarding the implemented solutions to be measured through survey.


Ministr y of Education: Information System Coordinating Office; Educational Statistics and
Planning Office; Regional Directorates of Education; schools’ executive councils and
school groups.
Financial institutions.


3.1.5 Key Project – School Safety (escol@segura)

Figure No. 13
School Safety Project

Concept To provide all schools with alarm and video surveillance systems

Goals To increase the safety of assets and people in schools

Recipients All lower and upper secondary schools

Framework

The XVII Constitutional Government is making the greatest investment ever in the technological
modernisation of schools.

However, the increase in computer numbers in teaching establishments underlines the need to reinforce
their protection against theft and vandalism.

Nowadays, more than half the schools do not have burglar y alarm systems. Schools with alarm systems
(49 per cent) or video sur veillance (13 per cent) show several inefficiencies, namely difficulties in
monitoring, inappropriate inter vention formats, delayed inter vention times, and inefficient operation and
management formats.

It is critical to consider the safety concerns within the set of initiatives to modernise the technological
infrastructure of schools. This is due, on one hand, to the need to safeguard the investments in equipment
and, on the other, to the interdependency between the implementation of security systems and the
definition of their models for operation and management.

Goals

To increase the safety of people and assets, providing all schools with alarm and video surveillance systems
and ensuring the implementation of an efficient monitoring and intervention model that safeguards the
integrity of equipment.


Main measures

To implement, in all schools, alarm and video surveillance systems with local and remote monitoring.

To distribute equipment and services at preferred pricing to schools that wish to reinforce or widen their
areas of protection.


In order to control the management and internal execution, this project should adopt the
following indicator s:

Percentage of schools with implemented alarm and video surveillance systems.
Progress in the number of violence, vandalism and theft cases.
Number of occurrences (excluding false alarms).
Number of interventions (excluding false alarms).


Ministry of Education: Regional Directorates of Education; schools’ executive councils and school groups.
Video surveillance equipment and monitoring services suppliers.
National Data Protection Commission.

3.2 Contents

The contents and applications are essential for the improvement of educational practices, since they
encourage the choice of more interactive and constructive teaching methods, thereby contributing to the
creation of a culture of lifelong learning.

The contents and applications still have a strong catalyzing role in changing management practices and
adopting new methods and work tools that lead to better efficiency levels in the schools.

The measures of the Technological Plan for Education to be implemented in the «Contents» axis are
directed against the identified main modernisation inhibitors, namely:

The scarce use of contents and applications par tially due to the insufficient quality of
electronic contents in Por tuguese and adapted for educational purposes in the
classroom context.


The limited number of available functions in the most successful collaborative
platforms in Por tugal (such as Moodle) and the underuse of their potential (mainly
used as mediums to communicate and to share documents).
Their use is not disseminated through the entire teaching community.
The reduced use of ICT in the operative management of schools and the limited
knowledge of available solutions and applications, with great asymmetries between schools.
The sharing of knowledge and of better management practices is limited to the circle
of informal relations of the members of executive boards and administrative staff.
The minimal use of electronic communication means – e-mail, forum, chat, etc. —,
favoring intensive use of paper in most processes and in most communications
between the agents in teaching communities.

In this context, the following projects have been considered priorities:

Figure No. 14
Projects to be implemented in the «Contents» axis

Axis B
Contents

Intervention Contents production and sharing Digital schoolbooks
Areas Management applications production and sharing Open-source software
Content application certification


School Portal (Portal da Escola)
School portal with content sharing, distance learning and collaborative tools
Simplex School (Escola Simplex)
Management support electronic platform
Institutional Portal of the Ministry of Education
(Portal Institucional do Ministério da Educação)
Communication platform between citizens and the Ministry of Education

Other projects

Electronic textbooks (Manuais escolares electrónicos)
Making electronic textbooks and content available
Incentive for the use of electronic textbooks and content
Integrated electronic communication platform
(Plataforma de comunicação electrónica integrada)
Massification of electronic communication tools use
among the agents of the educational community


3.2.1 Key Project – School Portal (Portal da Escola)

Figure No. 15
School Portal Project

Create a school portal with content sharing, distance learning and
Concept
cooperative functions (e-learning platform)

To increase the production, distribution and use of educational content in electronic format
(for instance exercises, textbooks, electronic notebooks, etc.)
Goals To encourage the development of the student’s e-portfolio
To complement conventional teaching methods and increment interactive teaching
and continuous learning practices

Recipients All schools

Framework

The area of contents and interactive educational applications was identified as a priority intervention in the
diagnostic study regarding the current state of technological modernisation in education.

The need to intervene in the «Contents» axis is still more urgent when considering that the path toward
a knowledge society implies not only the widespread use of computer equipment and connectivity but also
changes in traditional teaching and learning methods, which of course depend on the existence of tools
and proper educational materials and contents.

Internationally, regarding educational technological modernisation processes, most countries have
developed e-learning platforms internally. In most cases the promotion of development and use of these
platforms are listed among the political priorities.

The internal development of e-learning platforms is mainly impelled by:

The need to ensure the availability of the desired functions.
The need to ensure reliability and ease of use.
The impor tance of the creation of the network effect.
Safety concerns.
Concerns regarding interoperation and content transfer among multiple applications.


Por tugal witnesses the first steps in the diffusion and use of vir tual learning platforms. However, according
with the diagnostic study's results, the use of such platforms reveals the same limitations identified in
reference countries, namely:

Since they are mainly used by teachers and among teachers, their use is not
common with the other members of the educational community.
Their use as a new channel for traditional teaching practices: a channel for the
interaction and communication among agents and for the distribution of
classroom materials.
Not all of the available potential in virtual knowledge platforms is being exploited.

Underuse of the platforms as catalysts for change in educational practices.
The platforms are still not being used to digitalize the institutions’
administrative management.

E-learning platforms play a central role in educational technological modernisation
processes, due to the following reasons:

They are catalysts in the production and use of tools, contents and
information in electronic format.
They are catalysts in the use of electronic resources as a supplement or
even as a replacement to traditional teaching methods in the classroom.
They are catalysts in the change of educational practices, promoting
more interactive and constructive practices, as well as creating the
culture of lifelong learning.
They minimize info-exclusion, allowing remote and low-cost access to
content, modules and courses; they minimize educational and learning
exclusion for citizens with special needs.
They are catalysts for change in management practices.
And they are catalysts in collaborative approaches to teaching and
management.

For the reasons mentioned above, it is crucial to develop and promote the use of a platform for knowledge
sharing that incorporates all the key functions and allows one to explore its full potential as a catalyst for
technological modernisation.


Goals

To promote the production, distribution and use of electronic contents in teaching and learning methods
(for instance, exercises, textbooks, electronic notebooks, etc.).

To encourage the development of students’ e-por tfolio;

To complement traditional teaching and promote new teaching practices;

To minimize info-exclusion, making contents and tools available that enable distance learning;

To develop the ar ticulation between school and job market (for instance, integrating functions such as
employment resources).

Main measures

Progressive launch during the school year of 2008 / 2009 of the School Por tal platform, a vir tual knowledge
platform enabling, among others:

The release and usage of contents and suppor t tools for teaching and learning in
electronic format.
The communication between students, teachers and staff, and between the
educational community and external agents.
Distance learning (e-learning).
Suppor t to integration in the job market and in university teaching.

Definition and implementation of a management and operation model for School Por tal ensuring its
dynamics and self-suppor ted use.


In order to control the management and the internal execution, this project should adopt the following
indicators:

Platform notoriety;
Number of users/registered users and number of page views per day/month;
Number of published items of content and number of downloads of such contents;
Satisfaction index among agents from the educational community after its use.



Ministry of Education: Educational Statistics and Planning Office; General-Directorate of
Curriculum Innovation and Development; Office for Education Assessment; General-
Directorate for Human Resources in Education; Regional Directorates of Education; schools’
executive councils and school groups.
Teacher associations.
Student associations.
Educational contents producers.
Technology suppliers.s

3.2.2 Key Project – Simplex School (Escola Simplex)

Figure No. 16
Simplex School Project

Concept To create an electronic platform for school management

To increase efficiency in management and communication between agents
Goals in the teaching community
To improve access to school information

Recipients All schools

Framework

A high number of teaching establishments already resor ts to computer applications to suppor t school
management. However, the range of computer services is still very much reduced and most processes still
resor t to paper, generating considerable inefficiencies in the information exchange between applications
and teaching establishments, and among them and the services of the Ministry of Education.

Teaching establishment currently enjoy full autonomy to select and implement their own management
applications. The fact that there are more than ten system suppliers – systems that in most cases are not
compatible – generates inefficiencies, since it reduces the scale effect while promoting fragmentation and
limiting investment scalability.


Fur thermore, there are asymmetries among schools, and examples of good practices in terms of ICT
intensive use in the schools’ operative management have been identified in the diagnostic.

However, one should emphasize that the share of good practices is mainly based on informal contact
networks set by teachers and administrative staff, and that there are no mechanisms to increase their
dissemination and accelerate the adoption of applications or processes that have proved to be effective.

In this context it is fundamental to develop a suppor t platform for school administrative management,
incorporating the digitalization of critical processes (for instance, registrations, attendance record, minutes,
etc.) and collaborative tools, so as to promote the production of contents and management applications
while increasing technological modernisation and the overall spread of good practices.

Goals

To increase efficiency in management and communication between agents in the educational community;

To generalise the use of electronic systems to manage processes and documents;

To improve access to school information.

Main measures

Implementation during the school year of 2008 / 2009 of the Simplex School platform, a vir tual knowledge
platform enabling, among others:

The usage of computers for educational critical processes.
The communication between agents in the teaching community and external agents.
The dissemination of better management practices and tools for the suppor t of
management.

Definition and implementation of a management and operation model for the Simplex School ensuring
their dynamics and self-suppor ted use.


In order to control the management and the internal execution, this project should adopt the following
indicators:

Percentage of schools with the Simplex School platform.
Platform notoriety;
Number of users/registered users and number of page views per day/month.


Number of electronic processes implemented and used in Simplex School.


Ministr y of Education: The Information System Coordinating Office; Financial Management
Office; General-Directorate for Human Resources in Education; Educational Statistics and
Planning Office; Regional Directorates of Education; schools’ executive councils and
school groups.
Teachers’ associations.
Producers of administrative applications and technology suppliers.

3.2.3 Key Project – Institutional Portal of the Ministry of Education
(Portal Institucional do Ministério da Educação)

Figure No. 17
Institutional Portal of the Ministry of Education Project

Concept To create a platform of communication between citizens and the Ministry of Education

To establish a primary access point to information and public services of the Ministry of Education,
organised according to the users’ needs
Goals To facilitate communication between the Ministry of Education and citizens
To provide information about Education in Portugal, Europe and the world
(political, statistical, formative and informative)

Recipients Citizens, Media, Partners (companies, municipalities, etc.)

Framework

The information and services provided by the Ministry of Education are currently scattered among the
different sites of the Ministry. Different target audiences have to browse through several sites to gather
relevant information, with all the difficulties caused by different organisational schemes.

It is therefore critical, in the context of good practices for the promotion and use of ICT, to create a
general, universal and easily accessed Institutional Por tal for the Ministr y of Education, which gathers all


the information and ser vices organised according to users’ needs. By achieving its goals, the Por tal should
also be setting a standard of good practices for institutional communication channels of the Por tuguese
Public Administration.

Goals

The Por tal aims to:

To prevent information gap between citizens and the Ministry of Education, and to
provide information and useful services.
To promote quality in the internal and external communication of the Ministry of Education.
To guarantee access by all citizens, including those with special needs, to information
and services regarding Education, by following closely high accessibility standards.
To establish itself as a reference for the Por tuguese Public Administration, laying the
grounds for a more widespread change of institutional communication channels
between citizens and Public Administration.

Main measures

To define and implement a modern communication tool between the Ministry and all citizens.

To gather information and services currently scattered in the several sites of the Ministry of Education and
merge them in one por tal of easy access to all.


Platform notoriety
Number of page views per day/month


Ministry of Education, including all General-Directorates and Regional Directorates of Education.


3.3 Training

The deficit in ICT competencies is seen as one of the main roadblocks to the use of technology in
Por tuguese schools. In any effor t for technological modernisation, the investment in equipment, contents
and applications and the investment in ICT skills training and cer tification are mutually complementary.

The aim of the measures that will be implemented in the «Training» axis is to give clear answers to the
main inhibiting factors to the modernisation in competencies, namely:

The scarcity of ICT usage in teaching and learning methods.
The training of teachers with little focus on the educational usage of ICT.
The lack of certification and professional value mechanisms for ICT competencies for
teachers and students.

In this context, the implementation of the following projects has been considered a priority:

Figure No. 18
Projects to be implemented in the «Training» axis

Axis C
Training

Intervention Training of teachers and non-teaching staff
Areas Certification of student and teacher competencies
Use of ICT in teaching and learning processes


ICT Competencies Training and Certification (Competências TIC)
Restructuring of teachers’ ICT training
Institution of certification mechanisms for ICT competencies
Electronic Assessment (Avaliação Electrónica)
Use of computers in student assessment
ICT Internships (Estágios TIC)
Promoting excellence and employment opportunities for ICT vocational education
students, ensuring training in a real work environment in reference knowledge
economy companies
ICT Academies (Academias TIC)
Allowing students, teachers and staff the possibility of training and
certification by industry standards, providing those who choose to with an
advantage in the job market

Other projects

ICT integration in teaching and learning processes
(Integração das TIC nos métodos de ensino e aprendizagem)
Literacy in Open Source Applications (Literacia em aplicações Open Source)


3.3.1 Key Project – ICT Competencies Training and Certification (Competências TIC)

Figure No. 19
ICT Competencies Training and Certification Project

To create programmmes for modular and progressive certification in ICT competencies
Concept ICT training programme for teachers and non-teaching staff aimed at the certification
of competencies

Generalise ICT skills training and certification
Goals
To promote the use of ICT in teaching and management

Recipients Teachers and non-teaching staff in lower and upper secondary schools

Framework

Regarding ICT competencies, some effor t has been made in teacher and student training, notably with
the creation of technology training modules for teachers and the introduction of compulsor y ICT classes
in the curriculum. Notwithstanding, the deficit of competencies is still considered a significant barrier to
the use of ICT.

In Por tugal, some steps were given so as to better suit the ICT training to the agents’ real needs. In 2006,
training references were defined for different teacher profiles in an attempt to better match the training
investment to the needs of teachers, and to establish a basis for the creation of continuous training
programmmes for each teacher type.

It is, however, necessary to continue improving the teacher training systems so as to increase their efficiency
and ensure that the use of ICT is not restricted to specific classes but instead becomes par t of the daily
school routine and the learning method for all disciplines. In this context it is also fundamental to ensure
the cer tification and professional value of ICT competencies.

Goals

This project has the following goals:

To promote efficient training in ICT for the agents in the educational community.
To promote the use of ICT in the teaching and learning processes and in the school’s
administrative management.
And to contribute to the professional value of ICT competencies.


The following goals should be accomplished:

40 per cent of teachers cer tified in 2009.
90 per cent of teachers cer tified in 2010.

Main measures

To create, star ting in 2008, modular and progressive ICT training courses for teachers and non-teachers,
incorporating the strong use of ICT in the classroom and in school administrative management.

To establish, beginning in 2008, a compulsory cer tification programme for the agents of the educational
community in:

Dominion of basic ICT tools;
Dominion of ICT competencies in teaching and learning methods.



Percentage of teachers and non-teaching staff performing, per year, each of the
modular training levels in ICT
Total number of training hours ministered
Percentage of teachers and non-teaching staff with ICT competencies cer tification
Index of teacher and staff satisfaction with the quality and utility of the training
courses.


Ministry of Education: Educational Statistics and Planning Office; General-Directorate for
Human Resources in Education; Directorate Of Curriculum Innovation and Development;
Scientific and Pedagogic Council for Continuous Training; Regional Directorates of Education;
schools’ executive councils and school groups.
Teachers’ associations
Training entities
Contents producers


3.3.2 Key Project - Electronic Assessment (Avaliação Electrónica)

Figure No. 20
Electronic Assessment Project

To use computers in student assessment (diagnostic, formative and summative assessment,
Concept
exercises, etc.)

Promote the educational use of ICT
Goals
Uniform assessment criteria and learning rhythms

Recipients Students from lower and upper secondary schools

Framework

In Por tugal, the use of ICT in the classroom is mostly restricted to the subject of Introduction to ICT.
Technological integration in teaching and learning methods in other classes is still far behind the best
practices in the EU15.

The use of computers in student assessment greatly induces modernisation because it stimulates the
technology demand by all agents in the educational community: students, teachers and parents.

Moreover, the adoption of computer systems in assessment has positive effects in harmonising assessment
criteria and in monitoring and uniforming learning rhythms because it simplifies the general application of
tests and objective assessment criteria, enabling a simple follow-up for statistical results.

Goals

To promote the educational use of ICT.

To reinforce safety and fairness in assessment.

To uniform assessment criteria and learning rhythms.

Main measures

Creation of national exams in electronic format. Star t of the project with diagnostic, formative and
summative assessment tests.



In order to control the management and internal execution, this project should adopt the
following indicator s:

Number and percentage of tests done in electronic format.
Efficiency of electronic format tests in investigating student progress, by comparing
their results with the continuous assessment results.


Ministry of Education: Educational Statistics and Planning Office; Office for Education
Assessment; General-Directorate of Curriculum Innovation and Development; Regional
Directorates of Education; schools’ executive councils and school groups.
Teachers’ associations.
Contents producers.

3.3.3 Key Project – ICT Internships (Estágios TIC)

Figure No. 21
ICT Internships Project

Internships aiming at providing specific training at the workplace for ICT vocational education
Concept
students in reference national and international technological companies

To promote excellence and employment opportunities for ICT vocational education students
Goals

Recipients ICT vocational education students

Framework

The focus on vocational education is one of the cornerstones for the reinforcement of qualifications assuring
that Portuguese students conclude the secondary education qualified for integration in the job market;

The Ministry of Education intends to reinforce the attraction of students for vocational education, as well
as the attraction from leading companies for vocational education students;


In this context, the Ministry of Education invited a set of reference companies, key players in the Knowledge
Economy field, in order to build up a strategy envisaging the promotion of vocational education focusing
on the aforementioned field, on what concerns the Technological Plan for Education.

Goals

With the creation of this programme, the aims are:

To promote internships, aiming at providing training at workplace for the best students
of ICT vocational education, in reference companies of the knowledge economy,
improving the attractiveness of ICT vocational education.
To increase the relationship between schools, reference companies in the knowledge
economy and the government and to promote excellence in vocational education.
To promote communication between schools with ICT vocational education (public or
private) and reference companies with the oppor tunity to incorporate the best
students onto their staff.

Main measures

Creation of a platform to manage the offer and demand of internships for ICT vocational education
students, aimed at companies, schools and students, to be launched progressively after the third
quar ter of 2007/2008.

Par tnerships between the Ministry of Education and reference companies in the knowledge economy.



Percentage of public and private teaching establishments that subscribe to the platform.
Percentage of schools that upload students’ curricula onto the platform.
Number of users/registered users in the platform, organised in four types: schools,
companies, students and general public.
Number of page views per month.
Number of companies that offer internships in the platform and number of internships
available per company.
Total number of internships available in the platform.
Percentage of students in the platform attaining an internship position.
Success rate of students approved for internship.
Rate of students employed in the company where the internship was done.
Employment rate of students completing an internship.



Ministry of Education: Educational Statistics and Planning Office; National Agency for
Qualification; National Association of Vocational Education; Regional Directorates of
Education; executive councils and pedagogic representatives of Vocational Education
Schools; executive councils and course directors of secondary schools that teach Vocational
Education courses.
Reference companies in the knowledge economy field.

3.3.4 Key Project – ICT Academies (Academias TIC)

Figure No. 22
ICT Academies Project

Concept Creation of ICT Academies in schools, aiming at industry certification for students, teachers and staff

To improve ICT skills with the possibility of industry certification, increasing qualifications for
Goals students, teachers, staff and the community. To increase the qualification level of students,
especially those preparing for the job market

Recipients ICT vocational education students Teachers, staff, educational and general community

Framework

The entry into today’s job market is greatly improved by increased ICT skills, but employers will often
require cer tification of such skills.

Providing schools with the possibility of conducting the necessary training for such cer tification might not
also create employment oppor tunities for students that take advantage of the industries’ cer tification but
also create a more dynamic school. On one hand, allowing for the training of other teachers and staff and,
on the other hand, eventually opening the possibility of a closer relationship between the school and its
community, and at the same time providing the school with a business oppor tunity.


Goals

The implementation of ICT Academies intends to achieve the following goals:

To allow students, teachers and staff to improve their ICT skills with training and
cer tification compliant with the industry’s standards.
To improve students’ job market receptiveness.
To provide schools with the possibility of implementing a business model, by opening
the academies to the community.

Main measures

Establishment of collaboration protocols with reference national and international companies, with an
academy model, that can provide cer tification in key skills.

Implementation of ICT academies, with recognised industry cer tification, in secondary schools.



Number of students enrolling in the academies / attaining cer tification.
Number of teachers enrolling in the academies / attaining cer tification.
Number of staff enrolling in the academies / attaining cer tification.
Number of community members enrolling in the academies / attaining cer tification.
Number of reference companies making their academy model available for ICT Academies.
Number of schools implementing an ICT Academy.


Ministr y of Education: Educational Statistics and Planning Office; National Agency for
Qualification; General-Directorate for Human Resources in Education; Regional
Directorates of Education; schools’ executive councils and school groups.
Reference companies in the knowledge economy field with an academy model.


3.4.1 Transversal Projects

3.4.1A Investment and Financing

Por tugal presents much lower levels of investment in technology in education than reference countries.
Therefore, to achieve the proposed goals, a significant reinforcement of financial resources is necessary.

The measures to be implemented in the «Investment and financing» axis intend to ensure the availability
of the financial resources that are needed to implement the Technological Plan for Education and their
efficient management and allocation. They also aim to overcome the main limitations, such as:

Reduced investment levels.
High dependency of revenues coming from the schools (for instance, revenues for
services rendered and equipment rental).
High asymmetries among schools when it comes to financial means.
Disar ticulation between private contributions and the needs and interventions of the
Ministry of Education.

Therefore, the following projects are considered priorities:

Figure No. 23
Projects to be implemented in the «Investments and financing» axis

Axis D
Investments and financing

Intervention Public Investment
Areas EU funds
Private sector partnerships
Technological patronage
Minimization of info-exclusion


Fund for inclusion in education (Fundo para a inclusão na educação)
To reduce asymmetries between teaching establishments coming from
the different revenue generating abilities
Technological patronage (Mecenato tecnológico)
To review and reinforce the predicted benefits under the scope of
technological patronage
EU funds (Financiamento comunitário)
To channel EU funds for the technological modernisation of education

Other projects

Private sector partnerships (Parcerias com o sector privado)
To maximize and manage private contributions for technological modernisation
and to ensure the coordination between public and private intervention


3.4.1B Fund for Inclusion in Education

Framework

In the scope of the diagnostic study, significant asymmetries among schools were identified, concerning
infrastructures and technology use.

These asymmetries greatly occur due to the excessive dependency of schools’ own revenues (for instance,
for services rendered and equipment rental) to finance investment and expenses in ICT, as well as the
different capacity to generate school funds.

Figure No. 24
Fund for Inclusion in Education Project

Project Goal Main Initiatives

FUND FOR INCLUSION To promote access to ICT by To create a Fund for Inclusion in
IN EDUCATION agents and schools with fewer Education, with resources to
financial resources complement the financing formats
for the technological modernisation
To create a fund that complements To decrease asymmetries in schools with fewer resources,
the financing formats for between schools ensuring the reduction of
technological modernisation in asymmetries.
schools with fewer resources,
ensuring the reduction of
asymmetries.

To ensure universal access to ICT, it is impor tant to eliminate the deficiencies in less-developed teaching
establishments and to ensure that all schools have a proper level of infrastructure and ICT use.

Goals

To reduce asymmetries among schools, promoting the access of agents and schools with fewer financial
resources to ICT.


Main measures

Creation of a fund for inclusion in education, with resources that complement the traditional ways of
financing technological modernisation in schools, or to compensate those agents with fewer resources.



Total amount of the Fund and total amount attributed annually.
Number of schools covered by the Fund.
Number of contributors to the Fund.
Number of financed projects.
Number of press clippings of implemented initiatives.


Ministry of Education: Financial Management Office; Regional Directorates of Education;
schools’ executive councils and school groups;
National private companies.

3.4.1C Technological Patronage

Goals and main measures

The intention is to reinforce the benefits for entities and agents engaging in technological patronage, with
the aim of stimulating the par ticipation of private agents in the programmed initiatives of educational
technological modernisation. It is also intended to increase the notoriety and knowledge regarding the
benefits and incentives predicted by law, thereby increasing the amount of contributions.


In order to control the management and internal execution, this project should adopt the following indicators:

Notoriety and knowledge of the benefits and incentives predicted by law.
Amount of annual contributions.


3.4.1D EU Funds

To finance the Technological Plan for Education the intention is to channel par t of the community funds
mobilized for the execution of the National Strategic Reference Framework (QREN), namely the resources
attached to the Operational Programme for Human Potential, that congregates, among others, the set of
interventions that aim to promote Por tuguese academic and professional qualifications, such as initial
qualification and lifelong learning.

3.4.2 CATE – Technological Support Centre for Schools

Figure No. 25
CATE – Technological Support Centre for Schools

Concept Interactive whiteboards, computers connected to the Internet, and video projectors:
reinforce IT equipment in the classroom

To increase the quality of technical support in schools, simplifying support procedures
Goals and releasing the teaching community agents from non-pedagogical taskst


Framework

Most schools do not have the specialized technical suppor t for the maintenance of the ICT infrastructure,
with 75% of them pointing this fact as an impor tant obstacle to the modernisation of education.

The Ministry of Education has developed technical suppor t platforms for the educational community
agents, associated to the main technological infrastructure projects in schools, although they do not cover
all the needs or have the scaling capability for the new rhythm of modernisation.

The new PTE projects have an operational, managerial and maintenance component for the infrastructure
(e.g. local area networks, videosurveillance), that allows schools to be released from the effor t of operation
and maintenance. For higher efficiency in the management of these external services and in their operation,
CATE integrates the technical suppor t structures of all the suppliers of the Ministry of Education in a single
point of contact that is responsible before schools.


Goals

The CATE project aims at:

To provide schools with first line technical support for problem solving related to the ICT
infrastructure, guaranteeing a response to the increasing amount of requests predicted due
to the investment in several projects in this area;
Integration of the technical support structures of the several suppliers of the Ministry of
Education in a single contact point, responsible before the schools.

Main measures

Establishment of a unique helpdesk and technical suppor t for schools, to provide solutions to problems
related to the ICT infrastructure and equipments arriving to schools in the scope of PTE projects;

Operational control of the service level contracts with the infrastructure and equipment suppliers;

Inventorying equipment in schools and controlling the usage conditions.



Number of cases reported to CATE;
Number of cases solved in a first line contact;
Average time for case solving from the moment of first line contact.


Ministry of Education: Educational Statistics and Planning Office; Executive councils of school groups
and non-aggregated schools.

3.4.3 e.escola e e.escolinha, one 2 one programmes in education

Framework

In the scope of the ongoing promotion of the information society in Por tugal, the invitation to tender
that was held in 2000, to grant exploration licenses of third generation UMTS based international mobile


telecommunication systems, favoured the proposals in which candidates would bind themselves to
provide compensation directly related with the development of the information society, namely, the
creation or financing of projects and initiatives that could be framed in the Technological Plan. In this
context, mobile telecommunications companies created the Fund for the Information Society, aiming at
promoting the development of an information society, according to the priorities defined by the
Government. This fund allowed for the launching of the e.escola, e.professor, e.opor tunidades and
e.escolinha programmes, that give students from all teaching levels, according to the social welfare level,
teachers and adults in adult education programmes, the oppor tunity to acquire laptops and broadband
Internet access at exceptional prices.

Goals

The goal of these programmes is the generalisation of the use of computers and the Internet

Figure No. 26
e.escola, e.professor and e.oportunidades

Concept Providing students, teachers and adults in adult education programmes, access to exceptional
conditions on the acquisition of laptops with broadband Internet

To generalise the use of computers and the Internet in the teaching/learning process
Goals

e.escola: students from the 2nd and 3rd cycles of lower secondary schools
and upper secondary schools
Recipients
e.professor: teachers from pre-school to upper secondary school
e.oportunidades: adults enrolled in the adult education programme, Novas Oportunidades

Figure No. 27
e.escolinha

Providing access to exceptional conditions on the acquisition of the first laptop with broadband
Internet to students of the primary school and initial years of lower secondary school
Conceito (ages 6 through 11), with appropriate tools and contents, side by side with infrastructuring
schools with the necessary technology for the use of computers in the classroom and teacher
training for the pedagogical use of equipments, tools and contents made available

Objectivos To generalise the use of computers and the Internet from early years, at school and at home.

Students from primary school and initial years of lower secondary school (ages 6 through 11)
Destinatários Primary schools
Teachers


Main measures

The e.escolinha programme is a one 2 one programme in which an integrated approach joins together the
offer of exceptional conditions on the acquisition of the children’s first laptop with Internet connection (for
students from primary school and initial years of lower secondary school, ages 6 through 11), with a
coordinated intervention on all the projects of the PTE, in the scope of its three main axis, namely:

Connection of all school spaces to high-speed broadband Internet, wired and wireless,
enabling access for all, at any moment or location (High Speed Broadband Internet and
Internet in the Classroom, Local Area Networks projects);
Production and acquisition of specific contents for educational purposes, stimulating the
market for the production of new contents (School Portal project);
Teacher training for activities in- and out of the classroom using ICT (ICT Competencies
Training and Certification project).


indicators:

Number of students that acquire laptop computers through the programme


Ministry of Education: General-Directorate of Curriculum Innovation and Development; National
Agency for Vocational Education; Regional Directorates of Education; Educational Statistics and
Planning Office; executive councils and school groups; Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity;
Ministry of Publics Works, Transports and Communications; Fund for the Information Society;
telecommunications companies.


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