ICT policies for schools
Until recently there was no overall strategy for the integration of ICT in schools, although there was a more general Information Society Strategy, which was updated in 2006. It is noteworthy that the Federal Council very recently decided to set up its own delegation to handle the Swiss Information Society strategy, placing it at the highest possible governmental level.
The strategy fixes two main objectives:
-
Integrating ICT in teaching at all levels both as a tool and also as a resource for all subjects, as well as a set of related competences to be taught in the framework of general media education.
-
Ensuring digital literacy to enable all pupils to acquire the necessary competences but also promoting equal opportunities with respect to ICT and media.
Topics
It goes on to fix six “areas of coordination”, i.e. topics to be dealt with by cantons within the framework of the CDIP. These topics aim at:
-
ensuring that ICT as tools, resources and also as a set of competences is fully integrated into curricula.
-
guaranteeing the availability of suitable digital content by creating the appropriate context, for example by encouraging networking between content makers or developing policies to ensure standards of quality.
-
improving teacher competences for the use of ICT in education by complementing existing actions such as implementing recommendations regarding ICT in teacher training.
-
providing suitable information about the education system as a platform for exchange and collaboration via the Swiss Educational Server.
-
ensuring the sustainability of the development and maintenance of infrastructure via framework agreements with private actors and through public-private partnerships.
-
strengthening Swiss and international collaboration thanks to expert networks, the gathering and sharing of information and improved dissemination of international projects on ICT use in education in Switzerland.
