Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

563. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when laptops ordered to assist students with online and blended learning will be available to Cork Institute of Technology students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24186/20]

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.

The €15 million allocation is being provided as grant funding to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Education and Training Boards (ETBs) for the procurement of devices.  These devices will then be distributed to disadvantaged students via targeted lending schemes.

Given the unprecedented global demand for laptops, HEIs and ETBs were given the opportunity to use all or part of their grant funding to participate in a bulk purchase of over 16,700 laptops organised by HEAnet.  An inital delivery of devices has been dispatched and is expected to arrive at various HEIs this week, with the remaining deliveries following over the coming weeks. 

Students of Cork Institute of Technology who consider they may be eligible for a device should contact the CIT Access Service for further information.