BESA Reports Poor Broadband and WiFi Provision Hurting UK Schools

The British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) has told the Government to do more to improve Internet connectivity in Schools across the United Kingdom, after their annual survey of ICT capabilities found that poor WiFi provision was a “major problem” in 65% of primary and 54% of secondary schools. Meanwhile 42% of primary and 31% of secondary schools also considered themselves to be “under-resourced” in broadband provision.

On the upside BESA’s study, which is reportedly based on feedback from a survey of ICT co-ordinators at 727 primary and 498 secondary schools, found that the number of computers in use in UK schools is expected to increase by 50,000 units in primary schools and 92,000 units in secondary schools. In particular the increasing adoption of tablet computers, with their lower cost per device, is making computers more accessible to children.

Caroline Wright, BESA’s Director, said:

“In today’s digital society, classroom connectivity to an online world of knowledge and resources should be a right for every student in their place of learning and not a lottery.

BESA urges the Government to consider the findings of today’s report and take speedy action to ensure that every child has the opportunity to benefit from an education that harnesses the power of educational technology and equips them with the digital skills they need to achieve success in our 21st century knowledge economy.”

Admittedly the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) scheme already aims to make superfast broadband (24Mbps+) speeds available to 95% of the population by 2017, although it’s worth remembering that while a minimum of 25Mbps might be good enough for many of today’s family homes, it’s often nowhere near enough to serve even a smaller school or business.

The alternative, which often involves building out a leased line connection (this can be especially troublesome in rural areas), is usually far too expensive for many smaller schools where a minimum of 100Mbps might arguably be more appropriate for their needs.

But for now it’s worth remembering that BDUK still has several years to run and so improvements are coming, while 24Mbps+ is the minimum and often faster speeds are still achievable. However some schools will clearly require even more performance going forward and sooner than the rest of us.