Lusaka: TECHz – News Desk
An ambitious initiative is transforming education across the continent, providing essential internet access to more than two million students and approximately 40,000 teachers. This progress stems from a school connectivity programme, backed by a US$57 million partnership, that officially launched in 2021.
Scaling Up: The Road to 5,000 Connected Schools:
The collaboration, spearheaded by the Airtel Africa Foundation and UNICEF, has successfully connected 3,296 schools to date. With a renewed commitment, the telecommunications operator aims to bring free internet to a total of 5,000 schools by 2027. This ongoing expansion is designed to close the digital divide and improve learning outcomes in underserved, remote communities across 13 African nations.
Beyond Infrastructure: Empowering Educators and Students:
Rather than simply laying down broadband infrastructure, the initiative has zero-rated 64 digital learning platforms, allowing millions of users to access high-quality educational content at no cost. The programme also prioritizes comprehensive teacher training, ensuring educators are fully equipped to seamlessly integrate these new digital tools into their daily instruction.
