Costa Rica announced a project to connect its 4,659 public schools with a fiber-optic network that would give students broadband internet with speeds of 10 Mbps. The plan is the first of its kind in Central America.
The government says the network design will be ready in three months and then it’s scheduled to be installed by 2021, which coincides with Costa Rica’s bicentennial celebration.
“The Bicentennial Education Network opens the window to the future. It lets us progress and builds a world of opportunities for students. That’s what we’re looking for, inclusion and equal opportunity, while also innovating with the technological tools that we have at our disposal,” President Carlos Alvarado said.
According to the Minister of Education, Edgar Mora, the program will allow different schools to connect and work together, and teachers can prepare classes with unlimited access to databases.
“Aside from universalizing access to the internet and improving speed, the network encourages teachers and students to fall in love with technology and incorporate it into the classroom to enrich the learning process,” Mora said.
