TIGER LEAP PROGRAM is a national program for computerisation
of schools launched by Estonian President Lennart Meri
in 1996. The main goals of the program were to:
- help local governments develop the IT infrastructure
and Internet connections for schools,
- help teachers acquire basic computer skills,
- support updating of curricula by means of ICT;
- encourage creation of original software by dealing
with estonian culture, language, nature, geography
in compliance with the national curriculum.
In 2001 Estonian Government approved the new development
program - TIGER LEAP PLUS PROGRAM - which focuses on
support for ICT development in Estonian general education
and teacher training. Our vision is that Estonian educational
system will be shaping the educational environment consciously
and purposefully, helping Estonia to compete in the
global information society.
The objective of the TL+ development plan is implementation
of ICT in order to provide premises and conditions to
create a learning environment in general education schools
of Estonia,
- guaranteeing the opportunity to acquire modern
aptitude-compliant education,
- strengthening integration between subjects,
- making the content of education more realistic,
- making schools more open and flexible,
- updating the preparation of teachers,
- turning the information system of education into
a well-functioning one.
The development plan focuses on four priority fields:
ICT competencies, virtual learning, sustainable development
of infrastructure and collaboration of all parties involved.
In 2004 Estonian schools have:
- 20 pupils per computer on the averige, no schools
without computers, 98% of all the computers at school
are connected to Internet;
- 99% of all the schools have broadband connection
to Internet
- 10,900 out of the total number of 17,000 teachers
in Estonia have been trained on elementary level in
computer skills and 2,600 teachers have participated
in different in-service training, 9,500 teachers are
trained on advanced level of ICT skills;
- Schools have been supplied with 100 different educational
software programs including the creation of 50 new
original estonian educational software packages;
- More than 170 development and training projects
have been initiated and funded;
- Teachers´ Netgate - a virtual support centre
for teachers was created.
Bringing ICT and Internet into schools has shown more
clearly than ever that it doesn't suit there without
changes in paradigm of teaching and learning.
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