Government funds high-tech classroom

High-tech in schools got a boost with the government's announcement of a £10m fund to develop the classroom of the future.

Projects will include a space age mission control centre in Cornwall in which pupils will learn how to fly a space mission using remote control, video conferencing and remote sensing. A "clip-on" classroom with state-of-the-art ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is planned for primary schools in Camden and children in Bournemouth will be about to link up to the Scottish glens and the Galapagos Islands via 3D cameras.

In all 12 local authorities across the UK will benefit from the money and the pilot schemes are intended to provide lessons for how education can be delivered in more inspiring ways in the future.

Schools minister Jacqui Smith believes it is an exciting challenge for the schools involved. "As we enter the new millennium, it is time to challenge current thinking on educational building design. We need to look at new ways of helping children to achieve more through developing technologies and creating learning environments that are truly stimulating," she said in a statement.

The authorities that will benefit from the funding are: Bedfordshire, Richmond upon Thames, Milton Keynes, Bournemouth, Durham, Camden, Norfolk, Sheffield, Cornwall, Devon, Kensington & Chelsea and Telford & Wrekin.

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