National Digital School Plan: what it is and how to access it

La Law no. 107 of 2015, better known as “La Buona Scuola,” activated the National Digital School Plan (PNSD), whose goal is the “launch of a comprehensive strategy forthe innovation of Italian schools and for a new positioning of its educational system in the digital era.”

The PNSD is multi-year in scope and affects the entire country; the purpose of the Plan is not only to implement adequate technological innovation in the school system, despite the fact that many infrastructures are lacking in this respect. The “collective effort” foreshadowed by PNSD is also aimed at realizing a new vision of the educational apparatus, without neglecting the centrality of the human relationship between teacher and pupils.

Why does the school need to adapt?

The National Digital School Plan represents the government’s response to the new teaching and educational needs brought about by society’s rapid technological evolution.

In such a broad perspective, PNSD requires a new commitment not only from teachers but from all stakeholders involved in the operation of the school system; in other words, the Plan aims to implement a new paradigm, for which “technologies become enablers, day-to-day, ordinary, in the service of school activity, primarily the activities oriented to training and learning, but also the administration“.

Not least, PNSD aims to improve educational offerings and provide future generations with the tools they need to properly relate to a reality in which digital will play an increasingly significant role.

How to save money on school technology equipment?

The process of school digitization and technological innovation will take a long time and considerable resources.

Many of these will be inescapably earmarked forupgrading technological equipment (laptops, printers, scanners, and others) to fill the gap due to the use of obsolete devices and media. Of course, this results in considerable outlay, mainly due to the purchase of new devices.

To reduce the economic impact of renewing technology equipment, an alternative solution can be opted for: operational rental. In this way, periodic replacement of devices is possible, thus always being able to take advantage of state-of-the-art resources for little economic effort.

Find out how to receive the enabling technologies for PNSD

What the national digital school plan includes

PNSD prepares substantial investments to carry out structural interventions aimed at technological upgrading of school infrastructure. Specifically, the Plan calls for reaching every school “at the door” with ultrabroadband fiber (as part of the National Ultrabroadband Plan), implementing indoor classroom wiring (LAN/W-Lan) and introducing a “connectivity fee” to implement the right to digital access.

Well before the health emergency caused by Covid-19, the Plan envisioned implementing solutions for integrated education by transforming available environments and taking action on school buildings.

Regarding the administrative management of school operations, the PNSD’s goals include speeding up access to MIUR’s digital services through the use ofdigital identity for staff to be associated with “simple and effective services and applications.”

Who is the national digital school plan aimed at?

The goals of the National Digital School Plan are quite diverse and affect all components of the school system: administrative staff, teachers and students.

Each compartment is allocated resources aimed at achieving specific goals, from the use of its own digital identity to the transition to the Electronic Registry, to the development of new skills dropped within a “digital” horizon through new learning formats preparatory to future entry into the world of work.

Specific training in digital and organizational innovation is also reserved for teachers and school leaders.

How to access the National School Digitization Plan?

Resources prepared by PNSD are distributed according to the technical and structural needs of individual schools. Each year, therefore, funds are allocated, for the gradual implementation of specific measures under the Plan; schools that need to comply with the provisions of the Plan may submit your application according to the terms set by a specific notice by the Head of Department for Education and Training Education System.

Here all PNSD notices with dedicated training platform

How to get assistance to access the technologies provided for the plan?

To address the lack of technical personnel capable of providing adequate assistance where necessary, the PNSD provides for the creation of special “Technical First Aid Posts,” the purpose of which is the management of minor assistance. In addition, MIUR will take charge of the specific training of personnel, indicated by the schools, to whom it will depute any technical assistance. Part of the costs may be covered through a grant of 1,000 euros.

Contact us for a free consultation