Top Award for Studentfinance.ie
Media Release
Top Website Award for Studentfinance.ie as Over 165,000 Log on to Site
Studentfinance.ie, the Higher Education Authority’s user friendly website with information on grants and a variety of student supports, last night won the eGovernment award for best educational website. The awards, sponsored by Eircom, recognise the best websites for communicating information to the general public from the public sector. Mary Hanafin, who as Education and Science Minister a year ago launched the site, presented
Malcolm Byrne, Head of Communications, HEA, Diane Swanton, National Access Office, HEA, Mary Hanafin T.D., Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Peter Brown, Acting Head of National Access Office, HEA, Brian Power, Principal Officer, Higher Education - Equity of Access Section, Department of Education and Science
Studentfinance.ie has had over 216,000 hits and 165,000 unique users in its one year of existence and provides those who wish to go to college with a comprehensive overview of financial supports from maintenance grants to the Back to Education Allowance in easy to understand language.
Welcoming the award, HEA Chief Executive, Tom Boland said,
“This award mirrors the response of students as tens of thousands of them have accessed the website for a clear explanation of sometimes complex information. The website, created in better economic circumstances, has an added benefit now as newly unemployed people consider returning to education and want to know the supports available to them. Its all there, literally at their fingertips”.
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) is the independent statutory body charged with advising Government on higher education and research policy and for allocating funding to our universities, institutes of technology and third level colleges.
ENDS
For more information, contact –
Malcolm Byrne
Head of Communications, HEA
01 – 2317162
086 – 2237102