Boosting bandwidth for public schools

A WA Government initiative to increase bandwidth in Western Australian public schools continues to roll out.

Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery announced the bandwidth capacity at Geraldton Senior High School has been increased 50 times, under the government’s plan to improve access to modern learning opportunities.

In December 2020, the government announced that almost all Western Australian public schools, including Geraldton Senior High School, would receive significant bandwidth increases to meet the growing demand for students to access learning materials online.

The upgrades, which are now in use at Geraldton Senior High School, provide faster and more efficient access to online classroom tools and allow the school to use a full range of technologies including high-definition multimedia content.

The upgrades also allow for improved bandwidth performance during key education assessments, such as NAPLAN and OLNA.

In addition, it has allowed the school to invest in ICT infrastructure to provide additional opportunities for students.

As well as increasing the digital capacity for schools across WA, the bandwidth upgrades benefit surrounding communities — with significant levels of spare bandwidth capacity that are able to be used by telecommunication service providers to deliver services to the community.

“Schools are increasingly using digital technologies in the classroom to access online learning resources,” said Sue Ellery, Education and Training Minister.

“These bandwidth upgrades enable students to learn in a contemporary environment.

“Teachers are able to effectively use digital technologies and learning resources in the classroom to enhance student learning.

“The local Geraldton community will also be able to benefit from the spare bandwidth capacity.”

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