A fund for student devices worth €15 million was part of a €168 million package for further and higher education sectors to deal with the impacts of Covid-19. Funding of €10 million has being provided to the higher education sector and €5m to the Further Education and Training sector.
The funding is being provided to eligible Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and ETBs (plus a number of other SOLAS-funded FET providers) in accordance with allocation models agreed with the HEA and SOLAS.
Since approval of the Once-Off Covid-19 Grant to support disadvantaged students in HE and FET sectors in accessing ICT devices (‘the Grant’), my Department has worked intensively with the HEA, SOLAS, ETBI and HEANet (the entity providing connectivity and associated ICT services to education and research bodies across Ireland) to design and deliver the Grant support. This funding has already allowed higher education institutions and further education institutions place a bulk order of 16,700 devices for students.
The specific arrangements for the distribution of the devices to disadvantaged students are a matter for each individual institution / ETB. However, under the terms of the Grant, devices must remain the property of the HEI/ETB, be offered to students under appropriate lending schemes, and also comply with certain conditions of sanction set down by the Office of Government Chief Information Officer in relation to security and appropriate usage.
