An important driver for education in Digital Literacy is the ability to support learning (across all subjects) as well as to communicate and to be creative. The CECE report found that Digital Literacy was introduced at primary school level in some 79% of the educational areas surveyed. But it also revealed the fact that teacher training in Digital Literacy rarely follows an agreed curriculum.
It is of vital importance that pupils learn to use computers in a disciplined, safe and secure manner that is both effective and efficient. Over and above acquiring digital skills, there is a need to develop the digital capacity and literacy of pupils so that they are prepared for the changing requirements of society and the labour markets of the future. Moreover pupils need to become aware of the potential to evaluate digital products and to recognise their potential for society.
The CECE report drew attention to the fact that Digital Literacy had to be taught from the early stages of education with students being proficient in the basic aspects by the time they reached secondary level; this included providing strong encouragement for pupils to keep up-to-date with relevant technological advances.
Moreover, all citizens must become digitally literate, since many (if not all) of the social and professional services they are using or involved with are today online activities. This requires ongoing teaching of Digital Literacy to the entire population. The professional societies have an important role here.