Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As part of a package of COVID-19 supports for the higher and further education sectors, my Department has allocated €15 million to higher and further education providers for a once-off COVID-19 Grant to support disadvantaged students in accessing ICT devices.

This initiative addresses concerns regarding the digital divide in the context of the shift to online and blended models of learning as a result of COVID-19 and the importance of supporting disadvantaged students to adapt to these new models.

Devices procured using the grant will be distributed by Higher Education Institutions and Education and Training Boards to disadvantaged students via appropriate lending schemes. Over 16,700 laptops have already been procured as part of a bulk order organised by HEAnet, while additional devices are being procured by some providers directly.

The higher and further education providers will determine which individual students should be prioritised to receive a device on a needs basis and within the terms and conditions of the grant. Students who wish to apply for a device should contact the relevant higher education institution or ETB for further information.

In the higher education sector, grants are made available to those institutions that receive support under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) therefore any college that does not receive funding under the SAF did not come under the terms of the ICT grant.