Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 September 2021
113. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education the measures taken to implement the two priority projects planned under the EU-NRRP funding of €63.5 million for school broadband and digital infrastructure for schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45750/21]
View answerThe National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) has been developed by the Government so that Ireland can access funding under the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. Ireland is expected to receive €988 million in grants under the Facility.
The Recovery and Resilience Facility is the largest component of NextGenerationEU, the European Union’s response to the global pandemic. The aim is to help repair the immediate economic and social damage brought about by the pandemic and to prepare for a post-Covid Europe that is greener, more digital, more resilient and fit to face the future.
Under this facility, the Department of Education applied for and will receive funding in respect of two projects to provide digital infrastructure and funding to schools, high speed broadband connectivity for primary schools where the National Broadband Plan and commercial provision will not provide such connectivity (Project A), and funding for schools to provide for interventions to address the digital divide, particularly access to digital devices and relevant ICT infrastructure (Project B).
Project A will provide €13.5m in funding. This will support an intervention project whereby those primary schools outside of the National Broadband Plan Intervention area, and in areas where commercial provision is insufficient, will be provided with high speed connectivity of 100 Mbp/s or greater. Through this project, the National Broadband Plan Intervention Area implementation, and commercial provision, it is intended to provide high speed connectivity to all primary schools by the end of 2022. This will all operate under the Schools Broadband Programme. Implementation of this project, led by a Steering Group including representatives from my Department, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, HEAnet, and the PDST, is underway.
Project B will provide €50m in funding for schools. This will issue through a one-off scheme to schools, targeting those learners most at risk of educational disadvantage through lack of access to ICT equipment. While available data shows that some schools have concentrated levels of disadvantage it is also the case that other schools may have learners at risk of educational disadvantage among their student cohort. Schools are best placed to identify and address inequalities to ensure those learners most at risk are supported and have access to the appropriate digital technologies required to give them every opportunity to fulfil their educational potential and gain key digital skills as part of their education.
My Department has committed to issuing the funding to schools in Q4 2021. Work is underway to determine the criteria for a scheme that will apply to underpin the allocation of this grant funding.
