Announcing details of how the extra funds allocated to education in this week's Budget are to be spent, Mr Blunkett said that it is "vital that we prevent a generation of children emerging as the information poor".

The Chancellor Gordon Brown announced extra money for education in the Budget

Among the measures announced are a network of learning centres making computers more accessible; subsidised loans for teachers to buy computers and a pilot scheme offering 'recycled' computers at affordable prices to low income families.

But the Shadow Education Secretary, David Willetts, has accused Mr Blunkett of re-announcing existing policies and adding little that was new.

Instead of showing "rigour in the implementation" of policies, Mr Willetts accused the government of offering "gimmicks" and "little penny packets of money allocated to schools for specific purposes".

In the government's �400m Budget spending package for schools and adult education, the education secretary announced plans to set up a network of 800 information technology centres, where equipment would be available for people to learn about computers and the Internet.

These would be based in schools, colleges and libraries, particularly in inner-city areas where it is believed the need is greatest.

David Blunkett wants inner-city communities to have access to modern technology

The centres, which will be for both school-age children and adults, were intended to bring "state of the art information and communications technology within the reach of everyone".

Mr Blunkett also announced funding to enable teachers to have their own computers at home, in the form of subsidised loans. A pilot study has shown that teachers who have access to computers at home are more confident when using computers in the classroom.

A pilot project will also provide families on low incomes with second-hand computers at a greatly discounted price.

"Ensuring that as many people as possible have a grounding in basic skills and computer literacy is not just desirable but is essential.

"The package I have announced today will help to improve those skills for children and adults and give everyone greater access to computers - be they pupil, teacher or parent."