The Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) and BSNL have joined hands to provide 100-Mbps broadband internet connectivity in high schools, higher secondary schools, and vocational higher secondary schools in the State.
The current 8 Mbps FTTH (Fibre to the Home) connections in schools will now be upgraded to 100 Mbps that is 12.5 times faster. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by K. Anvar Sadath, CEO, KITE, and C.V. Vinod, Chief General Manager, Kerala circle, BSNL, in the presence of Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty and General Education Principal Secretary A.P.M. Mohammad Hanish.
The 100-Mbps broadband internet connectivity will benefit 45,000 classrooms in 4,685 schools included in the Hi-Tech School project through better ICT-enabled education. As part of the Hi-Tech School project in 2018, KITE had deployed laptops, projectors, USB speakers, and networking in these classes. Even though the Samagra resource portal and the Sahitham mentoring portal are available in all classrooms in offline mode, with the availability of the 100 Mbps connection in classrooms, all such digital/online systems can be used more effectively. This will also enable the availability of KITE Victers education channel in all classrooms.
BSNL has agreed to enhance the broadband connection in schools to 100Mbsps without any additional cost and adhering to the existing rate of ₹10,000 (+GST) at which the earlier 8-Mbps broadband connection was provided. Each school can use up to 3,300 GB data a month as per this plan. “This step, the first in the country, will strengthen the initiatives of the State towards becoming a knowledge society,” Mr. Sivankutty said.
