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Connect a School, Connect a Community: Enhancing ICT Infrastructure

This session discusses the importance of connecting schools and communities to enhance access and use of ICTs, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable groups. Topics include broadband extension, accessibility, assistive technologies, literacy training, poverty reduction, and wealth creation.

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Connect a School, Connect a Community: Enhancing ICT Infrastructure

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  1. 16.12.10 Action Line IFMC2: Infrastructure Enhancing ICT Tuesday 11 May 2010 11:15-13:00Room H   ITU BDT Flagship Initiative Connect a School, Connect a Community Susan Schorr, Head a.i., Special Initiatives Division ITU-D

  2. Connect a School, Connect a Community Endorsed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at ITU World TELECOM 2009 Youth Forum www.connectaschool.org

  3. Connect a School, Connect a Community: ICT for All • To promote access to and use of ICTs by all people, including marginalized and vulnerable groups: • women and girls • indigenous people • persons with disabilities • youth and children and • people living in underserved communities

  4. What are the ICT Needs of Special Initiatives Populations? • Extension of broadband networks to their schools, homes, communities and public offices • Need for accessible ICTS • Assistive technologies for persons with disabilities • ICT and language literacy training • Harnessing ICTs for poverty reduction and wealth creation

  5. Why Connect Schools? • Connecting schools serves the children and youth who attend schools whether in urban or rural areas • Teach ICT literacy • Incorporate ICTs into curriculum • Expand educational possibilities • Teach responsible online behavior

  6. Why Connect Communities? • Connected schools can be used as community ICT centres to meet the ICT needs of the local community, especially in rural and remote areas • Meet their accessibility needs, including for persons with disabilities • Provide basic ICT and language literacy training • Provide life skills and vocational and educational training • Once schools in remote areas are connected to broadband, the network can be extended throughout the community for public and private use

  7. How to connect schools? • Encourage ITU Members – ICT regulators and policy makers – to take the necessary steps to connect schools • Collect and identify best practices • Build political support for the WSIS targets of connecting all schools by 2015

  8. www.connectaschool.org

  9. Raise Awareness • Organize events with decision makers • Reinforce the WSIS targets for connecting all schools by 2015 • Share best practices • Encourage adoption of national school connectivity plans to trigger public and private investment in school connectivity

  10. National School Connectivity Plans • Set targets and timetables for connecting schools • Identify technological solutions • Address legal, policy and regulatory measures to connect schools • Incorporate digital inclusion policies and practices for marginalized groups

  11. Supply and Demand Side Measures • Goal of creating an enabling environment is to encourage private sector supply of broadband services • Promoting school connectivity can encourage greater demand for broadband connectivity • Schools can serve as anchor points to extend networks in rural and remote areas for public and private use

  12. Conclusion Thank you for your attention Susan Schorr Head, a.i. Special Initiatives Division ITU BDT susan.schorr@itu.int Connecting schools plays a vital role in countries’ broadband development plans and can lead to significant investment in infrastucture

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