The partnership was made possible due to “Once-Off COVID-19 Contingency Funding for Access” which was administered via the Higher Education Authority (HEA). The funding aims to mitigate against some of the disruptive effects of the pandemic on learners and to ensure priority groups are not further disadvantaged and to provide support in a targeted way.

Commencing in September 2021, DkIT will support the cost of an annual online tuition licence offered via StudyClix for 5th and 6th year students in twelve schools across the region. The initiative is led by the DkIT Access Office and supplementary training supports will be provided to teachers prior to the commencement of the school year.

Speaking about the announcement, Eileen Lynch, Access Officer at DkIT said,

“The past two school years have been extremely challenging ones due to the unforeseen impact of COVID-19. We wanted to use funding in a very practical and focused way to assist our partners at second level. This initiative will support almost 2,500 senior cycle students in our region and I have no doubt but that they will benefit from this innovative learning resource.”

The twelve participating schools include: Breifne College, Bush Post Primary School, St Oliver's Community College, Ó Fiaich College, Scoil Ui Mhuiri, Ardee Community School, O'Carolan College, Inver College, Castleblayney College, Beech Hill College, Beaufort College and Largy College.

Studyclix.ie simplifies the study process by breaking down each subject into topics. For each topic past exam questions, marking schemes, quizzes and videos are available. The site has more than 200,000 students across Ireland registered while more than 90% of second-level teachers also use the service.