Introduction & Background
Connecting schools to the Internet is one of the most impactful ways of improving life. Through school connectivity children have access to a wider pool of information, a range of learning styles and receive a higher standard of education.
However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, more than 90 per cent of children in 190 countries were affected by school closures by mid-2020, as classes worldwide moved primarily online, education for the world’s 1.6 billion students was disrupted.
Children with lack of quality and reliable Internet access were disproportionately impacted by global shutdowns, as they were unable to continue their education. According to the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development’s Working Group’s report on The Digital Transformation of Education: Connecting Schools, Empowering Learners, the lack of Internet access reduces paths to a world of information available online, and limits the potential to learn and grow, all of which contribute to the digital divide.
While Internet penetration and affordability are gradually improving in some LDCs and developing economies, it is important to keep in mind that consumers also face other costs in connection while using these services, such as the acquisition cost of devices or the cost of the energy needed to operate them which is important to ensure that schools (and communities) can sustainably pay for connectivity. In lower income markets in particular, these additional costs can significantly affect the affordability of overall ICT services. It is thus imperative to provide the access to Internet, devices and knowledge that empowers communities.
Furthermore, until equity is achieved in technology access, it is also important to highlight the importance of low bandwidth ICT enabled services and strategies such as integration with other online platforms and accessibility from other devices to support digital literacy to bridge the digital divide and promote the digital transformation of economies.
Objective
- To identify affordable devices and solutions and how it can be used to support learning for students and teachers;
- To explore partnership to support sustainable digital infrastructure for schools
- To identify low bandwidth ICT application to support online learning through affordable devices
