Higher Education Authority an tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas HEA

The National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2008-2013 was launched in 2008 by the Higher Education Authority . It was developed by the National Access Office and in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. This Programme for the 2008-2013 period aims to build on the progress that has been achieved under the 2005-2007 Access Plan.The plan runs concurrently with the National Development Plan and sets out the rationale, policy and context for widening participation in Irish higher education and includes an evaluation of progress. It includes a number of objectives and relating action points to achieve equity of access to higher education. The relevant objectives include:

• Investment in widening participation in higher-education
• Institution-wide approaches to access
• Modernisation of student supports
• Enhancing access through lifelong learning
• Widening participation in higher education for people with disabilities

Each objective is accompanied with associated actions to achieve the objectives such enhancing progression from further to higher education and diversifying entry routes to higher education and to ensure greater equality of opportunity to higher education. It highlights ongoing and new areas of action, including work with institutions on the development of an access plan as an integral element of the overall strategic planning process and work with the Department of Education and Science on the modernisation of student supports. The National Action Plan 2008-2013 sets challenging, but realistic, targets for the period of the current National Development Plan (up to 2013) with interim targets for 2010.