How important are connected schools in climate disaster preparedness, response and recovery?

What role can connected schools play as after-hours community hubs to advance digital skills training and economic development?

Now that the majority of OECS schools are connected, what are the priorities in the collaboration with Giga going forward?

These are great ground rules! "Remember the human" is such a good one to lead with, it sets the right tone for everything else.
Thanks for putting this together.

We'd like to keep our conversations focused and easy to follow, and make it easier for us to collaborate, share knowledge, and support one another. To that end, we’ve put together a few ground rules to make the forum a useful, welcoming place for everyone. Ultimately, we’d like to create a sense of community around school connectivity—a space where people feel comfortable jumping in, asking questions and staying engaged.

Guidelines Summary:

• Remember the human. Treat others online as you would in real life. Behind every screen is a real person with feelings.

• Adhere to the same standards of behavior as in real life. Ethical standards should not be lower in the virtual world.

• Use proper language, grammar, and spelling. Professionalism is judged by the quality of your writing. Avoid slang, text shortcuts, and emoticons in formal discussions.

• Avoid "shouting" online. Typing in all capital letters is perceived as yelling and is considered bad form.

• Respect others' time and bandwidth. Keep messages concise, relevant to the topic, and use informative subject lines. Be mindful of sending large attachments without warning.

• Cite your sources. Give credit where it is due to avoid plagiarism. Do not post copyrighted material without permission.

• Be forgiving of mistakes. Not everyone is an expert on netiquette or the technology. Respond privately and kindly to minor errors if necessary.

• Avoid sarcasm and humor without non-verbal cues. Written words can be easily misinterpreted; what you intend as a joke might be offensive to others.

• Stay on topic. Keep your contributions relevant to the established discussion thread to maintain clarity and flow.

• Read, think, and then respond. Take a moment to review your message before sending to ensure it conveys the intended tone and meaning, preventing misunderstandings.

Welcome to the official Reddit community for Giga, a joint ITU/UNICEF initiative that supports governments in the mission to connect all schools in the world to the internet. The foundation of this effort is innovation, co-creation and knowledge sharing across four main activities: school location mapping, infrastructure modeling and cost analysis, and guidance in financing and contracting.

Giga is possible thanks to collaboration with governments, communities, international organizations, internet service providers and mobile network operators, multilateral development banks and other funders — and all those who care about digital equity. We're glad you're here — let’s make this space a catalyst for open discussion, collaboration and innovation around the goal of universal school connectivity.

The priority skills in a newly connected school are foundational digital literacy, online safety, and effective use of digital tools for teaching and learning. Are these being implemented in your school/community/country? What challenges have you encountered?

When it comes to the policy and regulatory choices in your country to advance school connectivity, share what is contributing to progress and what needs to be improved.