CONNECT A SCHOOL, CONNECT A COMMUNITY

While no two countries will develop their connectivity plans in the same manner, it is crucial to implement some kindo of defined process.  The ultimate plan may differ from that envisioned at the outset of the process, but ideally the changes will reflect the beneficiaries’ needs, the resources available from government and other sources, and the potential of the technologies to be employed.

While processes will vary, there are common elements.  When developing a plan for school connectivity a country needs to determine certain key parameters by which the plan’s connectivity goals and targets will be guided and carried out.  Each country has a different set of needs, but countries that have implemented school connectivity projects have considered the following key elements:

• Evaluation of relevant policies, laws and regulations, including identification of policies and programs that will help or hinder broadband connectivity efforts;
• Identification of targets and milestones, including bandwidth and deployment timelines, based on current and expected future technologies and applications;
• A network model to determine, for example, if a centralized education network is preferable to subsidization of direct connections to private ISPs;
• Identification of funding sources and levels, including long-term plans for sustainability;
• Coordination and implementation, including determining which government entities will be involved in implementing the plan;
• Determination of whether school connectivity will be centralized and coordinated at a national level or whether it will be decentralized, with coordination taking place at different levels (national, regional and/or local) ;
• Identification of appropriate end-user equipment or minimum specifications for such equipment;
• Identification of cross-cutting issues such as teacher training, child online protection, accessibility for persons with disabilities, etc.; and
• Definition of appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks for cyber-security, on-line protection of minors, and privacy, and incorporation of such frameworks into school connectivity projects

Figure ‎3‑2: Key Considerations for School Connectivity