Most New Zealand schools have now signed up to use the government-funded Managed Network, according to Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye.

The announcement follows the news last month that more than 500,000 students and teachers across New Zealand are now using the network, with schools continuing to connect to the government-funded service well ahead of schedule.

“More than 95% of schools have registered to use the Managed Network, which will give them fast, reliable internet and uncapped data,” Parata says.

“This is about enabling schools to make the most of digital technologies, to give young people the skills and confidence they need to succeed in an ever-changing world,” she says.

“The government is investing more than $200 million in this project, so that all state, state-integrated and partnership schools can have uncapped internet access funded by the Crown.

Associate Education Minister Kaye says the project continues to run well ahead of schedule.

“It's great that the sign-up is so high, but we're also pleased that actual connections are running ahead of schedule,” she says.

“The original goal of connecting 700 schools by the end of 2014 was achieved five months early. Now, just four months into 2015, more than half a million students and teachers from nearly 1,600 schools are connected to the Managed Network to support learning,” Kaye explains.

This is an important investment for the government, because we believe all young people should have access to high-quality internet connections for learning, wherever they live and go to school.”

In addition to the Managed Network, N4L is building a digital learning hub called Pond which 6000-plus teachers are using to find and share learning resources, as well as connect and collaborate with their peers. Yesterday it was revealed that N4L strengthened its ties with NZQA, announcing a new partnership that will enable teachers to manage their moderation requirements later this year.