Above: Basseterre (CJ Photo)
By the Caribbean Journal staff
St Kitts and Nevis has outfitted all public high schools in the twin-island federation with the infrastructure for Wi-Fi internet access.
The move is part of a project called Education Network (EDUNET).
The EDUNET programme includes the country’s One-to-One Laptop Initiative, which provides high school students and teachers with personal computers.
Telecom firm LIME tendered for an won the contract to provide the internet service, which will be accessible from every corner of a given school compound and extends 100 feet outside.
The download and upload is 10 MB, which the government said was five times faster than the typical speed of the average residential customer.
The government said “typical restrictions” are in place to block access to “undesirable Web sites,” but teachers will be allowed to request “timed access to social media sites such as YouTube and Facebook which may contain material relevant to a course or topic.”
EDUNET is a project of St Kitts and Nevis’ National Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, led by the Department of Technology.
The official launch of the project is set for the first quarter of 2013.