HEAnet Delivering a Safer Online Environment for Irish Schools

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MONDAY, May 14, 2007

The majority of Ireland’s 4,000 primary and secondary schools are now connected to HEAnet’s Schools Network backbone. HEAnet’s Schools Network is a centrally managed backbone network that connects schools to the Internet and other educational networks. HEAnet provide schools with a portfolio of network services including: managed Internet access; proactive network monitoring; webmail, web-hosting, network security and content filtering.

HEAnet’s content filtering solution aims to protect teachers and students from accessing inappropriate content as well as preventing viruses from reaching schools from the Internet. Prior to connecting to the Schools Network, each school must sign up to a specific level of content filtering as prescribed by the Department of Education & Science who define the filtering policy for all schools.

Since the introduction of this service into Irish schools, HEAnet can observe that schools are being protected from accessing inappropriate content and the incidence of viruses on the Schools Network has reduced significantly. Further, a HEAnet survey of over 100 schools reports that approximately 75% of those schools surveyed stated that they would be more inclined to incorporate the Internet in classroom activity than before the filtering service was in place.

John Boland, CEO, HEAnet stated, “The advent of the Schools Network as a managed national service can be described as delivering a safer Internet environment for Irish Schools. However the challenge of filtering the Internet is a moving target due to its changing and expanding nature. Further work is needed in the area of content labelling standards which will lead to more effective filtering possibilities”.

Ronan Byrne, Special Programmes Manager, HEAnet, stated, “While further development of filtering technologies is required, HEAnet conclude that the provision of the Internet filtering service as part of the Broadband for Schools Initiative is having a positive effect in Irish schools and this is to be welcomed. However, the filtering technology is not in itself a cure-all and student supervision is still perhaps the most effective monitoring system of all".

About HEAnet

HEAnet is Ireland's National Education and Research Network, providing high quality Internet Services to students and staff in Irish Universities, Institutes of Technology and other educational and research organisations.

HEAnet plays an essential role in facilitating leading edge research involving national and international collaborations between Irish researchers and students and their colleagues across the globe. It also enables leading researchers to live in Ireland and develop their ideas here.

For more information please contact:

Ronan Byrne, Special Programmes Manager
HEAnet Ltd.