Mobile devices with broadband connectivity could prove the panacea in the global effort to bring educational opportunities to people everywhere, especially the world’s poorest, or most isolated communities, a report said.

Worldwide, over 60 million primary-school age children do not currently attend school; almost half that number never will, according to the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development, which held its 11th meeting at Unesco headquarters in Paris yesterday (March 2).

A report by the Commission’s Working Group on Education, led by Unesco, indicated that the situation worsens as children get older, with over 70 million not enrolled in secondary school. And while classroom computers can help, lack of resources remains critical.

If an average of eight children shares each classroom computer in OECD nations, in Africa teachers can struggle to share each computer among 150 or more pupils. But with increasingly sophisticated mobile devices now packing more computing power than the famed ‘supercomputers’ of the late 1990s, the Commission believes broadband-connected personal wireless devices could be the solution.

ITU figures show that mobile broadband is the fastest growing technology in human history. The number of mobile phone subscriptions now exceeds the world’s total population of around seven billion, and active mobile broadband subscriptions exceed 2.1 billion – three times higher than the 700 million wireline broadband connections worldwide.

Even more encouragingly, most of this progress has taken place in the developing world, which has accounted for 90 per cent of global net additions for mobile cellular and 82 per cent of global net additions of new Internet users since early 2010.

“Education is one of the most powerful uses to which broadband connectivity can be put,” said ITU secretary-general Houlin Zhao.

“For the first time in history, mobile broadband gives us the chance to truly bring education to all, regardless of a person’s geographical location, linguistic and cultural frameworks, or ready access to infrastructure like schools and transport.

“Education will drive entrepreneurship, especially among the young – which is why we must strive harder to get affordable broadband networks in place which can deliver educational opportunities to children and adults,” he said.

“Every day, everywhere, women and men are inventing new ways to use broadband, mobile telephones and computers to be empowered, more autonomous and free,” said Unesco director-general Irina Bokova.

“We need to tap this inventiveness to improve education, especially for girls and women. But we have a long way to go. Two thirds of illiterate adults are women, and two thirds of the world’s out-of-school primary-age children are girls. This is a huge injustice, and a gap that we must fill. The continued expansion of broadband combined with technology can help us make giant strides towards this.”

President Paul Kagame stressed that broadband should be regarded as a basic utility, like water and electricity.

“In Rwanda, investing in ICTs has been indispensable to the attainment of our development goals. Broadband enables business and social entrepreneurs to find ways to offer world class education at low cost, to populations that have never had access,” he said.

“These centres of knowledge already exist, but in order for developing countries and isolated communities, to access and use them productively, they will need faster, more reliable, and more affordable Internet. The same principle extends to government more widely, particularly in delivering essential services. Broadband technology can enhance public administration efficiency and accountability to citizens, no matter where they live.”

President Kagame was joined by co-Chair Carlos Slim Helú, who asked Commissioners to consider whether the power of ICTs was being sufficiently exploited in today’s school environments.

“Broadband and ICTs are now available in many schools around the world – but are we seeing a concrete impact in the quality of education?” he said.

“We need to be sure that the potential of broadband for education is fully leveraged so that successful initiatives, such as new online course platforms, and many valuable education and training contents, become quickly available to people worldwide. Technology should be used for inclusion, and we should make vigorous efforts to ensure this.”

Dr Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Qatar-based telecom leader Ooredoo, said: “Ooredoo believes in the power of mobile broadband to enrich people’s lives, and education is a key area where we can make an immediate impact.”

“Our companies are supporting educational efforts across our markets, delivering interactive lessons directly to people’s mobile and devices, and this report underlines the need for all operators to continue to enhance networks to reach under-served communities with educational material,” he added.- TradeArabia News Service