Too many children are being taught information technology by teachers who do not fully understand its uses and importance, according to a key government adviser.

Owen Lynch, the Chief Executive of the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency said many school staff lacked basic skills in the subject.

Although the possibilities for using information and communications technology (ICT) as a tool for teaching and learning in schools had increased in recent years, they were not being exploited.

"We have not as yet reaped the expected educational rewards," Mr Lynch told an audience at the British Education and Training Technology exhibition in London.

"A significant proportion of our teachers lack an appropriate capability for ICT use. We have not ensured that they themselves are capable users of ICT... it underlines the need for continuous investment in our teachers' capabilities as new technology emerges".

And he said government figures show that in spite of the increasing use of information technology in the National Curriculum, a declining number of headteachers see it as "very important".

'Reasons for optimism'

Limited school budgets "often mean that ICT is seen as peripheral to the central purpose of teaching and learning".

But Mr Lynch said there were reasons for optimism, including the government's high-profile support for the National Grid for Learning, an attempt to link all schools to a network of educational information on the Internet.

The challenge was to make sure that more headteachers and teachers understood the educational benefits of investing in ICT, he said.

"We need to prove that ICT is educationally indispensable and financially sustainable."

Mr Lynch added that another crucial task was to improve communication between the education and commercial sectors of the economy, so that software relevant to teachers' needs was developed.