Dundee City Council did not spend a single penny on IT equipment for schools last year, it can be revealed.
New figures, obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats through Freedom of Information requests, show spending has almost halved across Scotland on cutting edge technology key to children’s futures between 2013 and 2016.
Spending has plummeted in Perth and Kinross and Fife but the most dramatic statistic was Dundee’s decline from £448,508 in 2014/15 to £0 the following financial year. Angus did not return figures.
Tavish Scott, the Lib Dems education spokesman, said: “This calls into question the credibility of the Scottish Government’s Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy which places an emphasis on using digital technology in education.
“While there are always going to be peaks and troughs, the news that the amount spent on school’s IT equipment has almost halved in the past three years raises concerns.
“Scottish firms have long projected shortages in computer science and other technology-based industries. These figures highlight how important it is to ensure that young people are computer-literate and prepared for the 21st century.”
A Dundee City Council spokeswoman said a “number of factors” were identified which gave the authority the opportunity to “reduce the financial commitment for one year”.
She cited a “consistency of PC manufacturer” giving increased reliability and lengthened lifecycle expectation, previous low cost purchases, and a recent refresh of primary school servers.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The Deputy First Minister launched a new digital learning and teaching strategy at the Scottish Learning Festival in September this year to ensure all pupils and teachers are able to benefit from digital technology.
“It includes more than 40 actions for the Scottish Government and key national partners to increase the use of digital technology to support and enhance learning and teaching in schools.”