RNP connects basic education schools in the Northeast in partnership with MEC
Technology is increasingly present in the daily life of classrooms, due to a generation of students that was born hyperconnected. To accompany this movement and ensure the insertion of digital technologies as a pedagogical tool, about 500 public schools of basic education, elementary and high school, will have better connectivity conditions in six cities in the interior of the Northeast for their teaching activities.
The action is part of the pilot project of the Connected Education Innovation Policy (PIEC), launched by the Federal Government and coordinated by the Ministry of Education (MEC) to support the universalization of broadband Internet access and promote the use of digital technologies in basic education.
The project has the National Education and Research Network (RNP) as the executor, in partnership with states, municipalities and regional providers. Of the 473 urban, state and municipal schools included in the pilot phase, 95% have already completed the installation of the entire internal infrastructure for the full operation of the wireless network.
High-speed internet access can be perceived both through the internal fiber optic network and through the implementation of a Wi-Fi network solution. The technology used is Cisco's Meraki Fullstack, which offers security, cloud management and signal availability.
Project scope
The initiative is being implemented in six cities in the interior of the Northeast, Caicó (RN), Juazeiro (BA) Campina Grande (PB), Mossoró (RN), Caruaru (PE) and Petrolina (PE), and will initially serve up to 500 urban, state and municipal schools, totaling 266 thousand students benefited.
The numbers of access and use of the solution in schools demonstrate how the implemented infrastructure is already impacting routines in schools. “To give you an idea, in the last 30 days there were more than 93 TB traffic, with more than 49 thousand users accessing the schools' networks”, says the project manager at DEO, Andrei Amaral.
The Connected Education Innovation Policy (PIEC) was instituted in 2017 and, according to the MEC, is considered a milestone in educational policies involving technology. It is structured in four dimensions: vision, training, digital educational resources and infrastructure.
In addition to universal access to the internet, PIEC also aims to empower teachers in the adoption of technologies for education, encourage student protagonism, expand access to quality educational resources and encourage the training of teachers and managers in pedagogical practices that promote the use of technology.
" Technology has definitely become an ally of the teacher and learning. At this time of returning to classes and re-engaging students, connectivity and digital educational resources will allow for the expansion of educational time and spaces. Just to exemplify, the student could now review classes with the help of technology at any time or the teacher could use tools for a visit to a museum in Europe in his history class", explained the assistant secretary of Basic Education at MEC, Helber Vieira, in an interview with Convergência Digital portal.
Learn more about Connected Education.