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Extending the reach
of Connect to Learn
One of the world’s most pressing
global challenges is ensuring access
to education, which is a fundamental
human right. Despite major
progress over the past decade,
many young people, particularly
girls in developing countries, lack
access to secondary education.
Society loses out, too. Countries with
educated populations have better health,
educational, social and economic outcomes.
Connect To Learn was conceived to
address some of the challenges relating to
secondary education access and quality.
It is a global education initiative launched
in 2010 by the Earth Institute of Columbia
University, Millennium Promise and
Ericsson to scale up access to quality secondary
education, in particular for girls, by
providing scholarships and bringing ICT to
schools in remote, resource-poor parts of
the world, over mobile broadband. To date
the initiative is launched in 21 countries
and benefiting some 50,000 students.
In support of the SDGs
Initiatives such as Connect To Learn can
play a key role in helping achieve future
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Proposed SDG 4 (4.1) sets out that “by
2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete
free, equitable and quality primary
and secondary education leading to relevant
and effective learning outcomes.”
Ericsson is taking an active role promoting
access to ICT and broadband in the SDG
Connect To Learn
Number of students
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
2011
2012
2013
43,050
2014
Estimated
2015
Source: Connect To Learn
process, as a member of the UN Sustainable
Development Solutions Network and
the Broadband Commission on Digital
Development.
Scaling up girls’ education in Myanmar
Ericsson and the UK Department for International
Development (DFID) and partners
have joined forces as part of DFID’s Girls’
Education Challenge to support girls’ education
in Myanmar (also known as Burma).
It aims to improve access to the internet,
delivering teacher training and enabling
students to experience a 21st century
education. The collaboration with the UK
government and DFID is Ericsson’s first
public-private partnership with a government.
Through the unique constellation of
partners, we believe it is one meaningful
way to bring scale and impact to Connect
To Learn.
In Myanmar, only 54% of secondary
school-aged children are enrolled in secondary
school, according to the World
Bank. As the population of Myanmar
begins to enjoy the benefits of mobile
communications, the intention is that
students will not be left behind.
Obs! Gjord med column
design. Prata med
Eva/Catta/Sanna Connecting om ev more than 30 schools
frågor. Leveraging Connect To Learn, the initiative
Gör så här: Färglägg will inte allow från more than 30 secondary schools
paletten. Markera staplar to be med connected vita to the internet through
pilen. Välj Object–Graph–Column.
Där väljer man färg mobile och ev tint. broadband, with deployment to the
Kolla särskilt att “Sliding” schools är valt på set for 2015. Professional development
programs for teachers, educa-
“Column type”.
Type–Options: tional content for students, and childfriendly
computing solutions to
1 stapel: 76% 70%
improve
2 staplar: 80% 80%
Grade nine students in Bhutan, part of a pilot e-learning project “iSchool.”
literacy and numeracy among females are
among the aims.
Ericsson is working with UNESCO, the
Earth Institute at Columbia University, Finja
Five, Qualcomm Incorporated, through its
Qualcomm© Wireless Reach initiative,
and the external evaluator EduEval to
deliver the program.
Up to 600 scholarships will also be
provided to marginalized girls. The deployments
are supported by mobile operator
Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications
and will benefit 11,000 students in the first
two years.
Reaching remotest Bhutan
We partnered in 2014 with the Government
of Bhutan, the Ministry of Education and
Bhutan Telecom to roll out a pilot e-learning
project “iSchool.”
Based on Connect To Learn, the project
aims to provide access to quality
education to 250 grade nine students at
six schools in remote areas of Bhutan.
Ericsson is deploying videoconference
and commu nications technology; Bhutan
Telecom will provide high-speed mobile
broadband. If successful, the initiative is
planned to extend to some 200 schools.
Extending outreach in Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, a partnership between
Ericsson, Mobitel and Open University
of Sri Lanka brings ICT and computer literacy
education to teenage girls in farming
communities in Sri Lanka.
44 Ericsson | Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report 2014