Prime Minister Julia Gillard today went online to officially open new facilities at the Katherine School of the Air in the Northern Territory.
The Prime Minister spoke with parents and students and witnessed some of the new facilities in Katherine via the internet from the NT Open Education Centre in Darwin.
The new facilities include the school's very first classroom which boasts electronic whiteboards, the latest wireless technology and 16 new computers.
Katherine School of the Air continues to help connect teachers and students separated by thousands of kilometres since it first began classes for students in remote areas in 1966.
The Prime Minister joined Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills, Senator Chris Evans, Member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon MP and NT Minister for Education and Training, Dr Christopher Bruce Burns for the opening.
Access to modern technology means students and teachers can now see each other and share learning materials using the internet.
Lessons are beamed across 800,000 square kilometres - an area twice the size of the United Kingdom.
Each year, the school teaches about 250 students ranging in age from preschool to Year 9.
The new purpose-built facilities provide a vastly improved teaching and learning environment which is benefiting both teachers and students.
Teachers are now able to access professional development and leadership opportunities while the new classroom enables them to cater for students of all ages.
The school also has new shower and bathroom facilities for visiting students.
The new facilities are part of the Gillard Labor Government's commitment to ensuring regional Australians have the services they need to reach their full potential, no matter where they live.
Katherine School of the Air received $975,000 through the Australian Government's National School Pride program and Primary Schools for the 21st Century (P21) elements of the $16.2 billion Building the Education Revolution.
The school's new computers were provided under the Digital Education Revolution National Partnership.
In the Northern Territory alone, the Australian Government is funding 388 projects worth more than $270 million under the BER.
The Government's $1.28 billion National School Pride program is funding more than 9400 eligible schools in every state and territory for minor infrastructure and refurbishment.
The $14.1 billion Primary Schools for the 21st Century program funding more than 7900 eligible primary schools in every state and territory for major new infrastructure.
The Australian Government's $2.2 billion National Secondary School Computer Fund is on track to deliver more than 788,000 computers by the end of this year.