The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., today welcomed delegates to the 10
th Asia-Europe Classroom Network Conference (AEC-NET), which is being held in Ireland for the first time.
The conference – which is being attended by over 100 teachers and educationalists from over 30 countries across Asia and Europe – will run until Friday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dundalk.
It is organised jointly by the Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF) and Co. Louth VEC, supported by the Department of Education and Skills.
The Asia-Europe Classroom is a programme (managed by ASEF) which brings together secondary and high schools in Asia and Europe.
It is a cyber-classroom shared by students and teachers to build networks and partnerships while implementing common online projects and participating in face-to-face exchanges.
The Minister said he was delighted that Ireland had been chosen to host this prestigious conference.
"Ireland’s future prosperity relies fundamentally on our developing deeper links with Asia.
"The Asia-Europe Classroom is a fantastic programme which bridges the gap between the two continents in a particularly innovative way.
"There is no better way of helping our students to become global citizens than by giving them the chance to learn and work alongside other children from around the world."
The Minister commended delegates for implementing more than 30 online collaborative projects over the past year.
He also congratulated the six projects that have been short listed for an AEC-NET award, especially the Irish-coordinated project GoCyberGreen which places an emphasis on local culture and heritage.
The theme of this year’s conference is "Apps in Asian and European Classrooms! Unleashing Educational Creativity".
During the week delegates will hear presentations from a range of national and international educationalists and experts in the field of ICT in education.
The Chief Inspector of the Department of Education and Skills, Dr Harold Hislop, will make a presentation to delegates tomorrow while Brigid McManus, the Secretary General of the Department, will address them on Thursday.