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More than 1,000 schools register with N4L
Mon, 19th Aug 2013
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Less than two weeks after the announcement that Network for Learning’s managed network was going ahead, more than 1000 schools have registered their interest in connecting to the network.

Of the 1161 schools to register, 867 are primary schools, 222 are secondary schools and 72 are composite schools.

Nikki Kaye, Associate Education Minister, says the concept of a managed network stacked up on paper during the due diligence stage and the fact schools have been quick to register their interest backs that up.

“The government believes that by using digital technologies over the managed network, students will have access to a wider range of quality teaching and learning resources that can enhance their learning and engagement,” she says.

“From my experience of visiting schools around the country there is a huge thirst for more online learning.”

The first schools will be connected to N4L’s managed network by the end of this year. More than 700 schools will be connected by the end of 2014 and all schools will be invited to connect by 2016.

Schools will be funded for an N4L package that includes access to the managed network providing quality fast connections, uncapped data, online content filtering and network security services.

“Registration is the first part of the process. I will be following over the coming months how many schools go the extra step of committing to connecting to the network,” says Kaye.

The managed network connects schools together via a secure data network, offering higher levels of service quality and support than has been available previously. It will also enable schools fast access to the internet and more predictable connections than most schools are using now.

The network will be centrally managed, meaning schools will no longer need to support their own internet connection, which will help reduce related ICT complexity and costs.