HEAnet has delivered 16,700 Dell laptops to students as part of the €168 million package announced by Higher Education Minister Simon Harris in July.
The package included €15 million to help tackle the digital divide, which has been a priority for the minister since he took charge of the Department of Higher Education as universities close and students are forced to study from home.
A tender was released for the scheme, and the government teamed up with Dell to get the new laptops to students.
Dell has a sizable presence in Ireland and was able to rapidly distribute the laptops, starting in September.
HEAnet is Ireland’s national education and research network. It aims to provide internet connectivity across all levels of the Irish education system, and is funded by government departments, the Higher Education Authority and a number of education and research organisations.
In a press statement, Jason Ward, vice-president and managing director of Dell Technologies Ireland, said: “Dell Technologies is proud to have supported the HEAnet on this initiative to ensure all students had access to the technology they need to allow them to fully participate in their courses in a remote learning environment.”
“The pandemic has demonstrated the importance of connectivity and access and the risk to those in our society if they are not connected”, he said. “As we look to the future, Universities and ITs will increasingly depend on new technology to stay agile and enhance learning outcomes for students.”
“This year has tested their systems and accelerated their digital transformation journey”, he added. “Our team at Dell Technologies will continue to support schools, colleges and universities in the months ahead to ensure that all students have the tools they need to continue to learn – whether that is in the classroom or in a virtual environment.”
HEAnet CEO Kerrie Power said in a press statement that “aggregating multiple client needs in this manner has allowed HEAnet to offer a far superior service over that of clients facing the challenge alone”.
“I believe that this bulk aggregation approach serves as a blueprint for a future way of working more effectively and efficiently. HEAnet would like to thank all those parties who made this expedited delivery a success and we wish the student users of these laptops every success in their future studies”, she concluded.
