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| Photo credit: ITU/V. Martin |
ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré and
Portugal’s Vice-Minister for Public Works, Transport
and Communications, Paulo Campos, signed an
agreement by which Portugal, through its eSchool
International programme, will provide comprehensive
technological solutions for schools in a number
of interested countries as part of ITU’s Connect a
School, Connect a Community initiative. The agreement
was concluded on 29 September 2010 in
Portugal’s capital, Lisbon.
This announcement follows a commitment made
by Portugal during the ITU World Telecommunication
Policy Forum (WTPF) in Lisbon in April 2009. Some
twenty countries will benefit from this first phase,
with the initiative supporting the launch of one connected
school project per country. Each project will
test innovative approaches using ICT in the classroom,
measure the impact, showcase the benefits
and share lessons learned. The assistance to participating
countries will include:
New laptops (up to a maximum of 50) for a
group of students and teachers in one school per
country Laptops equipped with software and educational
content A smart board in each classroom, connected to
the laptops to facilitate interactive e-learning Wireless modems along with a school server Broadband internet connectivity provided by the
local partner.
A multi-partner, international group of experts
will support project implementation, including the
development of a national school connectivity plan.
“This is more than a technical project,” said António
Mendonça, Portugal’s Minister for Public Works,
Transport and Communications. “It is about cultural
and social transformation, and our aim is to put ICT
at the service of education so that people throughout
the world can have access to it.”
Portugal’s eSchool International is an initiative
that acts as a major engine for promoting broadband
Internet access as well as the e-inclusion of students,
teachers and citizens in general. Portugal aims to
help participating countries experience the benefits
of integrating ICTs in schools, making information
and knowledge available for learning activities. The
Portuguese Government has assigned the overall
management of the e-School International programme
to Fundação para as Comunicações Móveis
(Foundation for Mobile Communications).
Dr Touré congratulated the Government of
Portugal for its leadership and willingness to share its
experience with other countries. Highlighting the importance
of connecting schools, Dr Touré said, “we
are on the edge of an exciting new frontier. With the
help of broadband-supported applications in schools,
we now have the chance to bring information and
knowledge to children all around the world. This
gives me great optimism for the future.” He added,
“Portugal’s eSchool International programme complements
and reinforces ITU’s global strategy for
e-learning.”
Connect a School, Connect a Community is a
public-private partnership launched by ITU to promote
broadband Internet connectivity for schools in
developing countries around the world. Connected
schools can provide ICT access and education to children
and youth, as well as their communities, serving
as community ICT centres for disadvantaged and
vulnerable groups, including women and girls, indigenous
peoples and persons with disabilities. Together
with partners, these centres will leverage ICT to improve
the economic and social development of their
communities by providing ICT-based training on basic
life skills (language literacy, numeracy and basic ICT
literacy), along with training that develops business
and ICT-specialized skills.
The Connect a School, Connect a Community online
platform (www.connectaschool.org) provides a
range of resources and promotes understanding and
awareness among government decision-makers, donors
and partners on the need for coordinated policies,
regulations and practices that promote school
connectivity and community benefits. This includes
assisting interested governments in developing their
own national school connectivity plans.
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