Press Release : Internet School
Charter
26 June 2001
The Strategic Advisory Board on Information
Technologies supports the principles of a national network of
Internet schools and of creating a seal of approval
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The Strategic Advisory Board on Information Technologies approve
the principles of a national network of Internet schools and of
creating a seal of approval.
The Strategic Advisory Board on Information
Technologies (Conseil stratégique des technologies de l'information,
or CSTI), made up of representatives from the world of business
and research, is favourable to the establishment of a network
of Internet schools, a coherent, consistent scheme that will help
promote the reputation of French educational training, especially
abroad.
The representatives, as observers of economic
life, supported the granting of a seal of approval for the curriculum.
It was recommended that the
Government:
-
Provide legal protection for this seal of
approval, prohibiting any improper use of the seal or use
of similar designations that could cause confusion;
-
" Ensure that resources are accorded
for the promotion, organisation and running of the network
at the time the Charter
is enacted.
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Results of the public consultation
The CSTI, having been entrusted by the Prime
Minister with the examination of the
Internet Schools Charter at its first meeting on 11 April
2001, held a public consultation
on the proposal on its website that lasted until 15 June.
The opinions collected indicate approval
for the principle of creating a seal of approval to be attributed
to institutions of higher education, both those institutions already
in existence and those being created, for all levels and all specialties.
The main comments concern the following
points:
-
" The criteria for granting the seal
of approval were sometimes considered too strict for existing
curricula;
-
" The use of networked educational
communications and information technology (Technologies de
l'Information et de la Communication pour l'Enseignement,
or TICE) by teachers could lead to the belief that conventional
computer systems no longer have a place in teaching methods;
-
" As the networking of approved schools
is an essential characteristic of the scheme (cf. point
3.4 of the Charter), it was also proposed that a commitment
to take an active and constructive part in this network be
an indispensable condition for obtaining approval.
With regard to methods of processing application
dossiers, the opinions collected led to the proposal that
the Telecommunications
Schools Group (Groupe des Écoles de Télécommunications,
or GET) be put in charge of studying and assessing the dossiers
of level I higher education programmes (French high school diploma
[Baccalaureate, or Bac] + 5 years of higher education) and presenting
them to an Approval Commission. Likewise, one or more bodies designated
by the Ministry of Education would be in charge of level II (Bac
+ 3 years of higher education and Bac + 4 years of higher education)
and III (Bac + 2 years of higher education) applications.
The CSTI is responsible
for advising the Prime Minister concerning the government's strategic
choices in the field of information technology, and in particular
aims to help accelerate the democratisation of access to information
technology and networks.
The Strategic Advisory Board on Information
Technologies (Conseil stratégique des technologies de l'information,
or CSTI), which is made up of researchers
and business leaders, advises the Prime Minister in the field
of information technology regarding the implementation and evaluation
of the activities of the French Government Programme for the Information
Society and European Union programmes.
