Giga's approach to increasing connectivity in schools is to examine the role that laws, policies and regulations play in terms of the commercial viability of different connectivity approaches. Giga is also looking at how innovative technologies and business models can help close connectivity gaps.
Giga Accelerate is an initiative that is part of the Giga partnership that explores opportunities to provide schools with broadband connectivity solutions to accelerate government universal connectivity programs by testing 1) the use of high frequency data to monitor the quality of connectivity services, 2) specific procurement patterns, 3) demand aggregation, 4) new and diverse technologies, 5) sustainable business -models and other approaches that will facilitate the implementation of national connectivity programs.
Giga accelerate project consultant Aziz Soltobaev in an interview with Kabar News Agency told about this project.
Can you tell us about the Internet Society Kyrgyz Chapter and its involvement with school connectivity projects?
Aziz: The Internet Society Kyrgyz Chapter is a non-profit organization that works towards promoting the open development, evolution and use of the internet for the benefit of all people throughout the Kyrgyz Republic. ISOC Kyrgyz Chapter was founded in the mid of year 2015. Since its foundation, we have been working on various projects relevant to our mission, including the ones related to schools and connectivity such as building community networks, bringing knowledge to the most remote schools ‘Internet in the box” as well as the ilimbox.kg educational online platform for secondary schools. As part of our recent partnership with the GIGA Accelerate Program, we have researched connectivity issues of secondary schools across all Central Asian countries and explored opportunities to provide sustainable broadband Internet to every schoolchildren, school teacher and administration.
Can you tell us more about the projects that the Internet Society Kyrgyz Chapter has been involved in, particularly in relation to community networks and internet connectivity in schools?
Aziz: Yes, of course. One of our most notable projects is the development of community networks in rural areas of Kyrgyzstan. In 2008 we helped the community of Suusamyr village building last mile infrastructure and radio relay bridges that allowed to improve Internet speed several times and decrease costs up to three times. Based on our successful experience of sharing capital expenditures between community and internet service providers, we have built guidelines for opening a window of opportunity for village telcos. Nookat Net in the south of the Kyrgyz Republic had been replication of our experience and scaling up. We usually take the most difficult destinations and try to help them get access to the Internet. One of such destinations was Zardaly village - a remote community living in high rocky mountains without electricity, road infrastructure and other benefits of modern society. Thanks to technological advancements and joint efforts with the Zardaly community we have been able to connect and secure broadband connectivity with solar panels. These networks are run by local communities and provide internet connectivity to people in areas where traditional infrastructure is lacking or unreliable.
To address the issue that not all school children in the country could access the knowledge available via the Internet, we have also developed “offline internet” solution named “Ilimbox - the Internet in a Box”, which is an offline digital library that provided educational resources to students and teachers in areas with limited or no internet connectivity. These devices were so popular that we had to increase the number of Ilimbox devices from 20 to 200 units delivered and used in the most remote areas of the country, which comprise 10% of all public secondary schools in the Kyrgyz Republic.
During COVID-19 lockdown, we saw challenges the educational sector had faced with organizing all communication tools, learning materials and streamlining to pupils in a unified way. As parents ourselves, together with children we saw and experienced all the pains of distant learning. So we have developed the ilimbox.kg educational platform, which provides online access to educational resources and tools for students and teachers in Kyrgyzstan in Kyrgyz language. The platform includes digital textbooks, interactive learning modules, user friendly interfaces, mobile plan friendly video materials. Even though the pandemic is over, we still have over 2000 monthly users who regularly use the platform in case of quarantine, illness.
That's impressive. Can you tell us more about how these projects have impacted schools and communities in Kyrgyzstan?
Sure. The community networks have provided internet connectivity to tens of thousands of people in rural areas of Kyrgyzstan who would otherwise be without reliable and affordable access to the internet. This has had a significant impact on the communities, providing them with access to information, electronic governmental services, ecommerce opportunities and educational resources.
The Internet in a Box project has also been successful in providing educational resources to students and teachers in areas where traditional internet infrastructure is not available. This has helped to bridge the digital divide and provide access to educational resources to those who would otherwise be without.
The ilimbox.kg platform has been widely adopted by schools across Kyrgyzstan, providing students and teachers with access to a range of educational resources and tools. We have also translated, dubbed and published over 2000 laboratory video materials in Kyrgyz language widely used by teachers in secondary schools nowadays. This has helped to improve the quality of education in the country and provided students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the digital age.
What are the goals and scale of the Giga Accelerate project?
The overall objective of Giga Accelerate Project is to design, plan and implement innovative, reliable, and affordable solutions to provide continuous internet connectivity to selected schools, with related maintenance services, through a sustainable business model. The aim is to provide schools with meaningful and sustainable connectivity using innovative business models and uses of technology. Ultimately, the insights gained from these prototypes will be used to inform efforts aimed at connecting more schools in the countries where GIGA is active.
Why is the Giga Accelerate project relevant for Kyrgyzstan?
In Kyrgyzstan, the Ministry of Education and Science claimed that 99% of 2250 schools have access to broadband internet, and only 33 schools remain unconnected today. However, our detailed research with GIGA Project demonstrates that in majority of the schools access to the 2G/3G Internet available only for school administration for administrative purposes only, while teachers and pupils don’t. There are about 1 million 300 thousand schoolchildren in the country, most of whom study in overpopulated classes of 40-50 kids in the class. In the meantime, authorities promised to provide access to the Internet for everyone, but it provides only 20 USD equivalent amount of money in national currency for Internet connectivity per school. Certainly that the given approach creates challenges of fulfilling promises. The Giga Accelerate project is relevant for Kyrgyzstan because it provides an opportunity to design and prototype innovative business models for securing internet connectivity in Kyrgyz schools, which would rely less upon governmental subsidies but more on other means.
What has the Internet Society Kyrgyz Chapter done in regards to the Giga Accelerate project?
The Internet Society Kyrgyz Chapter has provided technical inputs to the Giga Accelerate procurement process in the Central Asian region and created implementation guides based on the experience connecting schools in difficult areas and the Giga Accelerate prototypes in Kyrgyzstan. We have also created a playbook of different connectivity business models centered around the school, which includes successful and unsuccessful initiatives with a clear narrative on what worked and what didn't.
What actions are planned for the future of the project?
We plan to make a presentation of the playbook and demonstrate school connectivity options for stakeholders from Central Asian stans. We also intend to implement some of the business models in Kyrgyz schools, pilot school internet measurement tools to ensure that schools get adequate quality of speed, and develop the model of connected school. We are also in talks to pilot school connectivity business models in neighboring Central Asian states.
Can you tell us about the importance of the Giga Accelerate School Connectivity Playbook?
The Giga Accelerate School Connectivity Playbook is an important resource for stakeholders in the Central Asian region. It provides guidance and best practices for connecting schools to the internet and improving connectivity in the region.
The playbook includes a range of connectivity business models, including successful and unsuccessful initiatives, that provide stakeholders with a clear understanding of what works and what doesn't in terms of school connectivity. This information can help stakeholders to make informed decisions about the best approaches to take in their own schools and communities.
In addition, the playbook provides guidance on innovative technologies and business models that can help close connectivity gaps and improve the sustainability of internet connectivity in the region. This can help to ensure that schools and communities have access to reliable and affordable internet connectivity, which is essential for education, communication, and economic development.
Overall, the Giga Accelerate School Connectivity Playbook is an important resource for stakeholders in the Central Asian region who are working to improve connectivity and provide access to education and information.
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