Brussels, 11/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission published the finding of two surveys on the use of computers and the internet in EU schools, indicating that new technologies have made significant inroads in schools in all Member States, and that teachers are overwhelmingly open toward the internet. There are, however, significant discrepancies in the pace of takeup between different EU countries.
Regarding school equipment, average figures at EU level are as follows: 9 out of 10 EU schools are now connected to the internet; pupils have access to the internet in 8 out of 10 EU schools; there are 12 pupils per offline computer and 24 per online computer in EU schools; and half the computers used for education are less than three years old. However, there are important differences between Member States. For instance, figures vary from 3 to 25 pupils per offline computer and from 3 to 50 pupils per online computer. The countries with the best access are Denmark, Luxembourg and Finland; while the worst access in is Portugal and Greece. Furthermore, the EU landscape remains largely dominated by narrowband technologies, though high-speed Internet has made breakthroughs in a few Member States.
Offline computers are now used by the majority of European teachers. However, less than four out of 10 European teachers use the Internet with pupils. The main reasons given by teachers who do not use the Internet in class are the poor level of equipment and/or connectivity. Teachers who use the Internet in class are extremely positive - only one out of 100 does not find it useful. (More information: http: //europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/news_library/documents/index_en.htm)