Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

109. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to support colleges to deliver online options for students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6485/22]

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

Since March 2020, higher education has experienced one of the most disruptive phases in its recent history. Overnight there was a need to begin emergency remote teaching, learning and assessing.

€70m Covid-19 support funding was provided to institutions in 2020 to support Frontline Response, Return to Education and Transition to Online learning. €35.1m was specifically provided in 2020 to support Transition to Online learning. Further COVID support funding and Safe Return to Campus funding was provided in 2021, including funding towards Transition to Online. The final amount provided towards Transition to Online from the 2021 support funding will not be finalised until all relevant claim forms have been received and the review and analysis of the final claim forms are completed.

In November 2021, I launched the report of the Next Steps for Teaching and Learning Project, funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, which brought together 15 project partners to capture the learning from the Covid-19 period and identify future steps to support colleges in their Teaching and Learning practices. This will inform future work across the sector, including in relation to online and blended learning.

On 21st January 2022, the Government announced the lifting of a number of restrictions previously in place to curb the rate of infection and transmission of Covid-19. On that basis, planning for the opening up of society, including the further education, higher education and research sector commenced. The Safe Return Plan continues to provide a comprehensive framework for institutions to plan for the provision of significant on-site activity and a broader student experience fully supported by public health authorities and has the requisite flexibility to allow institutions to adjust activities for greater levels of on-site activity. In this way, institutions can now take opportunities to expand and intensify on-site learning in the phased way that is envisaged and institutions have been advised that the framework should be utilised in a way that enables this.

I will shortly be announcing a new phase of capital investment in the further and higher education sector. Further and higher education providers will be encouraged to put forward proposals that embed digital transformation, including in support of online and blended learning.