The £15 million Telecom Eireann Information Age schools project is beginning to show tangible results. Eleven schools in west Cork are proof of how the scheme is working.
On a wider scale, the scheme has meant the provision of a multi-media personal computer for all 4,100 State-supported schools in the Republic; free Internet connection, as well as data lines, where requested; and free usage of the Internet for one hour of every school day for two years.
Youngsters nowadays are computer literate almost before they can walk - teachers, too, must learn to match this phenomenon, says Mr Sean Maher, director of the West Cork Education Centre in Bandon.
Eleven widely spread primary schools in the area have formed an information technology network and are about to pioneer new teaching and learning techniques, thanks to Telecom and computer technology. It's a far cry from the days of the blackboard and chalk dust.
Mr Cormac O'Sullivan, Information Age schools manager at Telecom, sums it up: "Information-age technology is an integral part of school life for students and children alike. This schools project aims to generate much needed curriculum resources so that Irish teachers can educate their students in the most effective way possible.
"Telecom Eireann has put the infrastructure in place and the Schools Integration Project [SIP] will exploit the resource in the most valuable way possible for young people in the Irish education system today."
This is a best-practice initiative and from it, it is hoped, will emerge a model that will be applied to other schools throughout the State. The participating schools are from island, rural and urban locations around Co Cork, from Copeen to Castletownbere and Inis Chleire.