eGovernment Agency completes Phase 1 Secondary Schools Internet Connectivity Project

In keeping with the mandate given by President David Grangers to have all public institutions including schools equipped with Internet services in order to facilitate the transition from traditional learning techniques to a modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) approach. The eGovernment Agency, Ministry of Public Telecommunications has been working feverishly to make this possible.

Eighty three Secondary schools, five Regional Educational Development Offices, both University Campuses and ten Technical and Vocational institutions in Administrative Regions: 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are now connected to the eGovernment 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) network which extends from Skeldon in Region six to Charity in Region two. Giving a total of 100 educational institutions connected to the network.
Minister of Public Telecommunications, Hon. Cathy Hughes, sees this development as the beginning of a long overdue process that will ultimately enhance ICT literacy across Guyana and improve our chances for rapid business development. Mr. Floyd Levi, Head of the eGovernment Agency, also echoed similar sentiments when he said that “access to Broadband Internet is indispensable for education in this era”.

High speed Internet was also installed at New Amsterdam and Mahaicony Technical Institutes in Regions 5 and 6; the Government Technical Institute, the Guyana Industrial Training Center and the Carnegie School of Home Economics in Region 4; the Essequibo Technical Institute and the New Opportunity Corps in Region 2, and the Leonora Technical Institute in Region 3.

This initiative is a vital part of the Ministry of Education’s five-year strategic plan which was drafted some years ago. It was hinged on the operationalization of the ill-fated fibre optic cable that the previous government had ‘landed’ from neighbouring Brazil. This cable was supposed to have been laid subterraneously along the Linden to Lethem corridor, then along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway to connect with the fibre optic internet network in the city. A studied analysis of the severely damaged cable is still in progress. Reports state that it was very badly handled by the contractors who should have buried the full length of the cable at least three (3 feet) below the top soil.
Because this cable is currently unusable, internet connection for schools and public service agencies in inland and hinterland communities will now take longer than the original Ministry of Education strategic plan for education connection had anticipated.
The eGovernment Agency was determined to satisfy the original MoE objective of completing the connection of all schools and institutes located within radius of any LTE tower within the first two weeks of this 2016 academic Christmas term, and they have succeeded. This specified timeframe was mainly to accommodate students preparing for the next round of CXC examinations. From 2017 candidates will be required to submit their School-Based Assessment (SBA) projects online. Much of their reading material is available only in e-libraries.

Schools and educational institutions connected to the eGovernment Network