It has been a significant priority for me and my Department, in the context of the shift to online teaching and learning that has arisen from the public health restrictions, to provide support to students to facilitate connectivity and to examine options designed to seek to minimise the extent to which connectivity challenges act as a barrier to full participation in higher and further education.
In this regard, as part of the package of financial support approved by Government to help underpin the recommencement of higher and further education for the current academic year, my Department allocated €15 million to higher and further education providers for a grant to support disadvantaged students in accessing ICT devices. This initiative which enabled a bulk purchase of approximately 16,500 laptops on behalf of higher education institutions is intended to help address concerns regarding the digital divide in the context of the shift to online and blended models of learning, and the importance of supporting disadvantaged students to adapt to these new models of learning.
The delivery through the National Broadband Plan of high-speed internet connectively nationwide will ultimately provide a solution to current differences in broadband experience for students and learners. In the interim there are initiatives across a number of Government Departments to facilitate connection through community-based broadband hubs and liaison with telecommunication providers on packages, including unlimited data. It is also worth noting that, at the present time HEAnet provides a wi-fi solution - EduRoam - designed by and for the higher education community which operates across the education locations nationally. EduRoam allows a student to access wi-fi wherever EduRoam is broadcast, enabling a student to seamlessly roam from one EduRoam location to another.
HEAnet is currently working on options to extend the reach of EduRoam beyond the traditional campus locations to areas within the wider community. An extended EduRoam footprint would greatly overcome connectivity challenges and facilitate staff and students in effective teaching and learning activities based at their home location. HEAnet has already made significant progress in this regard, and I have facilitated engagement between HEAnet and relevant Government Departments and Public Sector Bodies to explore the potential for pilot projects trialing the availability to students of EduRoam, via wi-fi hotspots in public infrastructure owned and/or funded by the State. EduRoam is to be broadcast on Broadband Connection points, which will allow for wide coverage and use by students who have experienced difficulties in accessing from home.
I appreciate this is a time of considerable stress and concern for third level students. The national co-ordination group for tertiary education is meeting on a regular basis, and is closely monitoring the impact that Covid-19 is having on third level institutions and their students. There is ongoing engagement on the position with relevant institutions and stakeholders in the light of experience and the progress of the disease and planning for the remainder of the academic year. A working group has also been established to examine how to enhance student wellbeing. This group is chaired by the Union of Students in Ireland and is tasked with identifying, refining and implementing strategies to enhance learner engagement and wellbeing. Student support services remain open on a remote basis, and are available to assist students who are struggling with coursework or any other aspect of college life impacted by Covid-19, and students are encouraged to reach out to these support services if they need assistance.
