The European Commission’s report “2nd Survey of Schools: ICT in education” measures progress in ICT in schools and outlines policy options.
The study, also known as ESSIE2, aimes at providing comprehensive, up-to-date data and evidence regarding digitisation in education and digital technologies in learning. It focuses on primary, lower and upper secondary education and builds on the results of the “1st Survey of Schools: ICT in Education” published in 2013. Switzerland participated neither in the first nor in the second survey.
The “2nd Survey of Schools: ICT in education” has two objectives:
- The first objective aims at providing detailed and up-to-date information related to access, use and attitudes towards the use of technology in education by surveying head teachers, teachers, students and parents covering the EU-28, Norway, Iceland and Turkey, in particular related to progress made since 2013.
- The second objective of the study aims at designing a conceptual model for a ‘Highly Equipped and Connected Classroom’ (HECC), defining three scenarios of a HECC (entry level, advanced level and cutting-edge level) and estimating the costs to equip and connect an average EU classroom with advanced components of the HECC model.
The report recommends the EU, EU Member States, regions and municipalities as well as industry and civil society organisations to make a concerted and coordinated effort to allow the European education sector to stay ahead of technological change. Amongst others, it calls for financial support to digital education in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027), such as through the European Social Fund (ESF), Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe, i.e. the next EU framework programme for research.
The ESSIE2 report is a response to the Digital Education Action Plan (DEAP) adopted in early 2018. The results contribute towards the development of indicators as well as to the establishment of monitoring systems in the field of digital education at school.