- Connecting schools to the internet can improve digital access,
skills and educational outcomes regardless of geography, with
knock-on benefits for society
- School internet connectivity is also linked to GDP - in some
countries there is potential to increase GDP by up to 20 percent by
connecting schools (source EIU)
- Ericsson calls on industry to join efforts with governments
and Giga to close the digital divide and leverage the benefits of
global connectivity
KISTA, Sweden, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- One year after
Ericsson entered a global partnership with UNICEF to support the
Giga Initiative's school connectivity mapping efforts, the
initiative has reached a major milestone in mapping the location
and connectivity status of one million schools.
Giga - founded by UNICEF and the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) in 2019 - aims to connect every school to the internet
by 2030 and every young person to information, opportunity, and
choice.
Mapping schools is a key pillar of Giga as it helps provide an
understanding of the scale of investment, actions and partnerships
needed to bridge the digital divide and provide all school children
around the world with access to digital learning opportunities.
Ericsson's support for the initiative is in line with the
company's vision to create a world in which limitless connectivity
improves lives - including school and learning opportunities -
redefines business and pioneers a sustainable future.
Over the past year, Ericsson has provided funding and applied
data science to help map internet coverage in schools across seven
countries. Along with contributions from multiple partners, this
has helped Giga accelerate the mapping work and pass the
one-million-school milestone. Under the partnership, Ericsson has
committed to help map connectivity in schools across 35 countries
by the end of 2023, supporting Giga's ambition of mapping every
school in the world.
School connectivity breeds opportunity and fosters
inclusivity
Giga works on the premise that connecting schools to the
internet is one of the most impactful ways of improving life
chances. Through school connectivity children have access to a
wider pool of information, a range of learning styles and receive a
higher standard of education.
The improvement in learning and the understanding of technology
which results from an internet-enabled education is vital to
improving digital literacy and closing the digital divide. A
workforce that has been educated to this higher standard is more
likely to be innovative and foster ground-breaking ideas, leading
to economic development and job creation.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report - Connecting
Learners: Narrowing the Educational Divide - sponsored by Ericsson
in support of UNICEF, found that nations with low broadband
connectivity have the potential to realize up to 20 percent GDP
growth by connecting schools to the internet, if access is
affordable and accompanied by investment in skills, content and
devices.
While progress has been achieved in the first year of the
partnership, to meet this global challenge, collective action is
needed. Ericsson is calling on internet service providers and
political stakeholders to join Giga and donate their time and
resources to accelerate the bridging of the digital divide.
Heather Johnson, Vice President,
Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, Ericsson,
says: "According to the ITU, 369 million young people
don't have access to the internet and 260 million children aged
5-16 receive no schooling. This results in exclusion and fewer
resources to learn and limits future potential for many young
people. Mapping schools is a crucial first step in connecting every
school to the internet and every student to opportunity and
choice."
Johnson adds: "This milestone of over one million schools mapped
is a testament to the power of public private partnerships. It's
the first step to achieving universal school connectivity. But
there is more to be done and the industry must come together to
play its part in closing the digital divide."
Building on a decade of digital inclusion
For more than a decade, Ericsson has worked to promote digital
inclusion and increase opportunities for education worldwide.
Ericsson's partnership with UNICEF, in support of Giga, reflects
the ambitions of Ericsson Connect To Learn, which aims to empower
teachers, students and schools with technology to deliver a quality
education that's accessible to all.
This partnership with UNICEF has seen Ericsson commit resources
for data engineering and data science capacity to accelerate school
connectivity mapping. Ericsson lends technical expertise and
assistance to the collection, validation, analysis, visualization
and monitoring of school connectivity data. This data enables
governments and the private sector to design and deploy digital
solutions that enable online learning for children and young
people.
Chris Fabian, Co-Lead Giga,
UNICEF, says: "Ericsson's expertise has helped Giga's data science
team build better models for school connectivity. Technical
partnerships, like this one, are vital to Giga as we create an
open-source resource of school locations and connectivity that, as
of today, includes more than one million schools."
Related news:
Ericsson and UNICEF launch global partnership to map school
internet connectivity
New report: Connecting schools has the potential to boost GDP by up
to 20 percent in the least connected nations
NOTES TO EDITORS:
See current school mapping efforts at www.projectconnect.world
Or, for more information on this important initiative and how to
get involved, please visit https://gigaconnect.org
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ABOUT ERICSSON:
Ericsson enables communications service providers to capture the
full value of connectivity. The company's portfolio spans the
business areas Networks, Digital Services, Managed Services and
Emerging Business. It is designed to help our customers go digital,
increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Ericsson's
innovation investments have delivered the benefits of mobility and
mobile broadband to billions of people globally. Ericsson stock is
listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on Nasdaq New York.
www.ericsson.com
ABOUT THE GIGA INITIATIVE:
Launched in 2019, Giga is a global initiative to connect every
school to the Internet and every young person to information,
opportunity and choice. It is a broad partnership led by UNICEF and
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and harnesses
engagement and leadership from governments, business, civil
society, technology providers, donors, and finance experts.
Giga maps school connectivity in real-time, creates models
for innovative financing, and supports governments contracting for
school connectivity. As a global UNICEF partner, Ericsson
supports Giga's work to map connectivity levels in schools.
https://gigaconnect.org
Follow Giga on Twitter and LinkedIn
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