Microsoft Ireland has announced it will invest €500,000 in a collaboration with Maynooth University to address digital inequality in education.

The company said the aim is to increase the number of girls engaging in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

The Digital Wealth school outreach programme will aim to improve the digital capacity of more than 1,000 students who currently have restricted access to technology to upskill 300 teachers with the digital skills required to introduce coding and computational design into the classroom.

The tech giant's Dream Space team will deliver hands-on sessions to students on artificial intelligence, design thinking and computational thinking, with teachers given the chance to learn new teaching strategies focused on STEM and accessibility.

The Dream Space team will also deliver a STEM-based module to a cohort of students within Maynooth's School of Education to enable them as student teachers to deliver enhanced lessons in stem subjects while on placement in participating schools.

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On top of Microsoft's investment, the Digital Wealth project has also received €450,000 as part of the Rethink Ireland Education Innovation Fund Awards.

The programme will take place in 45 schools, 13 of then DEIS schools, over three years.

The collaboration will also see the roll-out of the STEM Passport for Inclusion project, which will support 1,000 girls between fourth and sixth year from disadvantaged communities to progress into STEM courses and pursue careers in the digital economy.

"With the research showing us that girls are less likely than boys to move into STEM, the STEM Passport for Inclusion project is enabling us to place a specific focus on creating new pathways for girls in STEM so they can play an active role in building tomorrow’s world," Microsoft International Operations VP James O'Connor said.

Dr Katriona O'Sullivan of Maynooth University added: "As well as ensuring that students have the skills to fill the digital roles of the future, addressing the digital divide will also ensure that schools across Ireland have the flexibility and agility they need to adapt to future periods of possible disruption."

Photo: Pupils from St Patricks GNS Ringsend taking part in a Microsoft Dream Space virtual event. (Pic: Microsoft Ireland/Twitter)