The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in collaboration with Kostanay Dulatov Engineering and Economic University, has implemented a project aimed at creating an smart educational ecosystem. This initiative has been launched in schools within the Kostanay region.
Connecting schools to the internet remains a significant challenge worldwide. It is projected that by 2030, the global adolescent population will reach 2 billion, while only 19 percent of the population in the least developed countries is currently connected to the internet.In Kazakhstan, 10 schools still lack internet access, and 4,147 schools (56 percent) have internet speeds below the minimum threshold of 10 Mbps, as defined by Project Giga for effective connectivity.
In September 2022, the Amankaragai secondary school, named after N. Ostrovsky and located approximately 150 km away from the regional center of Kostanay, Kazakhstan, was successfully connected to the network. This school serves a total of 728 students and employs 77 teachers. The school is under the leadership of Director Lev Sergeyevich Raschetov, who stated: 'In 2022, our school underwent a major renovation, and by autumn, we had internet access only in the administrative area and in the informatics classrooms. Participating in the project 'Creatation of smart educational ecosystem in Kostanay' by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) provided us with a significant opportunity to enhance our school's material and technical infrastructure, allowing us to return to the convenience of having internet access in every classroom.'
The intellectual educational ecosystem established in collaboration with Kostanay Engineering and Economic University n.a. M. Dulatov has interconnected educational institutions, libraries, and centers of scientific and technical creativity focused on human capacity building. This development has improved the quality of education, granted access to global information resources, and established a platform for practical training for both KEnEU staff and students.
Additionally, the university hosted "Broadband Week," an international-level event with the objective of formulating targeted recommendations for further partnerships related to broadband access in schools and digital inclusion in education. The participants in this event included representatives from the telecommunications and education sectors of Central Asian countries. You can find more details about the event, link to the event.
