Connected Schools is a project aimed at developing ICT infrastructure for educational institutions, by providing fast, stable and secure Internet access through the Academic Network of the Republic of Serbia (AMRES) to all users within the institutions. Hence, the project is aimed at connecting all elementary and secondary schools in the Republic of Serbia, i.e. providing wireless local area network for over 4000 base schools and detached school units, thus encompassing approximately 850,000 students of elementary and secondary schools in the Republic of Serbia.

Currently approximately 1650 base schools are connected to Academic Network of the Republic of Serbia (AMRES) and by the end of 2020, all schools, including more than 2000 rural detached school units, will be connected to the Academic Network of the Republic of Serbia (AMRES). When it comes to the provision of wireless local area network and thus providing internet connection to each classroom in school, to date, the network has been built in approximately 400 schools, i.e. for more than 250,000 students. The plan is for the wireless local area network infrastructure to be built in an additional 500 schools by 1 September 2020, i.e. for more than 220,000 additional students, and by the end of 2021 wireless local area network will be provided in all schools in the Republic of Serbia, both in base and detached school units.

https://www.pametnoibezbedno.gov.rs/projekat/6/

• Serbia

• Youth
• Remote and rural communities
• Elementary school students, Secondary school students, teachers, Schools' employees

Connected Schools project can be replicated in most countries, its activities are closely related to the provision of modern ICT solutions to all of the country's educational institutions, through joint efforts of both public and private stakeholders.

The project's sustainability is manifold; it mostly encompasses different ways of country's economic growth stimulation by providing a national setting for modern education introduction and ICT skills advancement, in order to create opportunities for all students in the Republic of Serbia, and especially equalize such chances for the students of the detached school units in the rural areas of the country. By introducing digital education and the use of ICT in all stages of the education process, we directly foster capacity building, thus creating a fully inclusive information society, which in turn has an immeasurable impact on society at large.

The Connected schools project promotes the WSIS value of governments' promotion of ICTs for development, in that it represents a direct implementation of the national e-strategy activity, it promotes connectivity as a central enabling agent in Information society building, it removes barriers for equitable access to information for various activities, including education, it is inclusive, it is enabling, and it ensures information security and network security, as well as privacy and user protection.