EQUIP 1 Collaboration with AIR, World Education & KAPE

1. Thin Client Laboratories: A Cambodia Pilot EQUIP1 Collaboration with AIR, World Education & KAPE Funded by

2. Contents 1. Cambodian Context 2. Past Efforts to Provide ICT Access 3. The Thin Client Solution 4. Future Challenges

3. The Cambodian Context: Educational System • Enrolment at Primary School Level is 92% • Enrolment at Lower Secondary School Level is only 33% suggesting a very large rate of dropout after primary school • At Lower Secondary School Level, Net enrolment at urban level is 53% but only 33% in rural areas, suggesting a big divide between town and countryside

4. School Infrastructure and Facilities • Most lower secondary schools in Cambodia have no access to electricity • Although schools have recently received operating budgets, these come irregularly and are very restrictive in how they can be used

5. Access to Information Technology in Cambodian Schools • Of the 1,112 lower secondary schools in Cambodia, fewer than 1% have access to ICT • For the 1% that do have access to ICT, the primary funding source has been private (mainly organizations and philanthropists) • Cambodian schools lack ICT facilities for many reasons including lack of investment, little access to electricity, and lack of human resources

6. Cambodian Government Policy & Information Technology • The Ministry of Education has a desire to bring Cambodia into the Information Age • There is currently a policy in place to provide ICT access to all lower secondary school by 2015 • This will require an increase in access of 9,900% over the next six years • There is little hope that this grand target can be achieved under the current situation, even with a very large amount of investment

7. Past Efforts to Provide IT Access to Cambodian Schools • Past efforts have focused mainly on secondary school level, not primary • There have been two competing models for ICT access. These include: • One Laptop per child approaches • Computer Lab Provisions

8. A Tale of Two Models One Laptop per Child Computer Lab Provisions • Has not worked well because: • Maintenance has been difficult • Students have no way to charge the computers • Managing hundreds of units is an administrative nightmare • This model seems to be wining out in Cambodia because: • There are fewer management units to administer and oversee • Energy needs are more manageable • Less maintenance involved

9. But . . . There have still been problems • Maintenance of Labs with only 15 computers is still human resource intensive • Schools have no money for electricity or fuel • Upgrading is expensive and time consuming • Investment costs for equipment & generators are still high • Local management issues

10. CaseStudy: The Lab that Failed • Date established: 2003 • Total investment: $15000 • Non-Functioning computer: 50% • Current status: closed because school owes $500 to electric utility

11. The Thin Client Solution • Thin clients are not a new technology • They have been around for a long time • But advances in personal computers have enabled them to be re-applied in new contexts • They address many of the problems with labs mentioned earlier

13. Future Challenges • Availability and Modes of Procurement • Training Requirements and Capacity Building • Software Requirements and Compatibility • Finding the Investment Funds for Solar

14. More Information http://www.equip123.net/EQ_Dispatch/Aug08.htm Thank You!