500.000 Devices Made Available for Digital Education

As discussed in the Consejo de Ministros yesterday, published on the Moncloa website.

The Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Isabel Celaá, has reported that the Council of Ministers has approved a subscription between her department, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation and Red.es to launch the Educa en Digital program.

This program plans to mobilize up to 260 million euros for the digitization of education. Of these, 190 million through Red.es (184 from European FEDER funds) and 70 million from the autonomous communities that join the program to provide devices and connectivity to public education centres.

Celaá explained that educational centres will lend the most vulnerable students up to 500,000 electronic devices with an Internet connection to facilitate their digital education, both in person at the school and from home. The equipment will begin to be distributed throughout the first quarter of the 2020-2021 academic year.

The program will also launch assistance platforms for teachers, students and educational authorities through the application of artificial intelligence.

More digital skills
The Minister has advanced that, in addition to the program, the Government will continue promoting teacher training in digital skills with online training courses, such as those already offered by the National Institute of Educational Technologies and Teacher Training (INTEF).

Likewise, the Executive will support the modernization of the digital platforms of the educational centres and the development of proposals in educational materials designed for the digital environment.

Isabel Celaá has argued that Spain aligns with countries facing the COVID-19 pandemic with investments in education because she knows that “stronger education makes societies much more prosperous, guarantees better wages and more and better citizenship.”

“Educa en Digital”, added the minister, is the first step to promote the digitization of education, which “is a determining factor when it comes to closing gaps and betting on social cohesion, making possible a scenario in which students have guaranteed access to appropriate educational content tailored to their needs regardless of their social reality or where they live. “

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