Rwanda’s only radio talk show (EdTech Monday) that highlights progress and challenges in education technology is BACK with the October edition theme focusing on “increasing access to connectivity and infrastructure in schools in remote areas”.
The show, sponsored by the Mastercard Foundation center for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT in collaboration with Rwanda ICT Chamber, aims to spark the education technology (EdTech) ecosystem in Rwanda.
Education Technology Status Quo
Rwanda is known as a tech nation in Africa, which has put its focus on increasing internet and broadband connectivity, technology driven education, innovation and solutions and thus expanding access to connectivity and infrastructure in remote areas has been central to the nation’s efforts to improve education through technology.
Despite progress in urban settings, rural schools face significant challenges in leveraging EdTech solutions.
According to the EdTech Landscape in Rwanda report by Laterite, only 27% of rural schools have access to the internet, compared to 75% in urban areas.
This disparity highlights the infrastructural gap that inhibits equal access to digital learning tools. While the government, through initiatives like Vision 2020 and the Smart Rwanda Master Plan, has prioritized ICT in education, challenges such as limited electricity and inadequate digital infrastructure persist in remote regions.
Improving access to connectivity and infrastructure in remote areas is essential to realizing Rwanda’s EdTech potential.
Existing programs such as the Smart Classrooms initiative aim to equip rural schools with digital devices and internet access, but coverage remains uneven. Recent interventions, like the Connect Rwanda Challenge, have distributed smartphones to households, indirectly benefiting students, but the focus on schools needs further expansion.
The 2023 National ICT Policy emphasizes extending fiber optic networks to underserved areas, yet only 40% of schools in remote areas report having adequate infrastructure to support reliable digital learning environments.
This limited reach underscores the need for more targeted interventions to enhance digital inclusion for rural students.
At the same time, the growing demand for technology-enhanced learning, especially in post-pandemic recovery, requires investments in both hardware and internet connectivity.
“While government efforts are commendable, recent studies, including Laterite’s report, suggest that more concerted efforts are needed to scale interventions and ensure that students in rural schools benefit from the same digital opportunities as their urban counterparts,” EdTech Monday organisers say.
“Ensuring equal access to connectivity will not only foster better educational outcomes but also contribute to Rwanda’s broader digital economy goals.”
To dive into the theme, the show will host 3 panelists this Monday October 28, 2024 from 6PM to 7PM on KT Radio, and be streamed live on KigaliToday YouTube channel.
These are: Theoneste Ndayisenga, Founder & CEO Global Nexus Institute; Dei Francois Audace, Embedded System Developer at Keza education future lab; and Cyprien Bunani, Chief Executive Officer of Education Development Consult.
This panel will discuss the key challenges that EdTech players face in expanding connectivity and infrastructure in schools located in remote areas, and find solutions tailored to address the unique needs of schools in remote areas, especially when it comes to limited access to electricity and internet.
The trio will also discuss the public-private partnership’s role in improving infrastructure and connectivity in remote schools, and how these collaborations can be strengthened; how to ensure that both students and teachers in remote areas have the necessary digital skills to effectively use new technologies and infrastructure.
They will also look at innovative approaches or technologies have been proven to overcome barriers to connectivity in rural schools, and how can they be scaled across more regions, policies or regulations needed to support the deployment of sustainable and affordable infrastructure and needs for additional funding mechanisms or resources required to accelerate the expansion of connectivity and infrastructure in schools in remote areas.
