Working Group Co-Chaired by:
The Broadband Commission Working Group on “School Connectivity" will be positioned as a key consultation group and provider of advisory and advocacy guidance for the implementation of key projects related to this theme.
Objectives of the Group:
With the combined efforts of the Broadband Commissioners and other development partners and relevant external experts, the Working Group Members will advise on challenges and opportunities related to connecting schools around the world including: technologies, business models, funding mechanisms, articulating the link to quality and inclusive learning, ensuring schools provide the right skills for employability, and ensuring every young person has access to information, opportunity, and choice.
Members of the Broadband Commission Working Group will serve as an ‘Advisory Group for Giga’ , a Global School Connectivity Initiative coordinated by UNICEF and ITU. The Advisory Group will act as a key consultation group that provides advisory and advocacy guidance on the development of the Giga project. The output of the group will build on the work and research of the various members and their real market experience based on projects related to education connectivity, access, demand etc. The work of the Advisory Group will be designed so as to not cause any perceived or potential conflict of interest in future phases of the Giga project that may involve procurement/implementation. The Working Group will also act as a key consultation group that provides advisory and advocacy guidance on the development and financing of the e-schools initiative which aims at ensuring connectivity of schools is articulated with inclusive and quality teaching and learning and better learning outcomes and employability of learners.
The aim is to benefit from the unique composition of the Commission and its expertise and perspective of the top/key players in the ICT industry, policy makers and IGOs and to engage with all relevant stakeholders and sharing knowledge about other existing resources and initiatives.
- Activities
1. The Group was launched during the Broadband Commission Annual Fall Meeting in New York, 21-22 September 2019
2. The Group will hold in Person meetings at: Davos 2020, MWC 2020, WSIS 2020
- Press
1. Kazakhstan to lead global school connectivity initiative in Central Asia
3. Mapping schools worldwide to bring Internet connectivity: the ‘GIGA’ initiative gets going
4. OECS to implement school connectivity initiative towards digital education vision
5. UNICEF And ITU’s Giga Initiative Aims To Connect The World’s Schools To The Internet
Outcomes

The Working Group provided advice for the development of two global initiatives aimed at connecting schools to the Internet:
1. Giga, a joint initiative between ITU and UNICEF to connect every school to the Internet and every young person to information, opportunity, and choice
2. UNESCO’s e-schools Initiative, which seeks to ensure the value for learning of connectivity and to align infrastructure investment with education sector plans and ICT in education policies.
This has led to the recognition of the Giga Initiative in the UN Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation as a Key Way Forward in developing regional infrastructure and accelerating digital connectivity. It has also contributed to the work and initiatives of the Global Education Coalition launched by UNESCO in 2020 to support the continuity of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

The Digital Transformation of Education Report
Connecting Schools, Empowering Learners
This report identifies a set of core principles, which aim to help governments and other interested stakeholders to develop more holistic school connectivity plans. It focuses on school connectivity and introduces a methodology and framework for connecting primary and secondary schools to the Internet based on a four pillars approach: MAP, CONNECT, FINANCE and EMPOWER.
Membership
Broadband Commissioners
Co-Chairs: UNICEF, UNESCO and ITU
- Ann Aerts, The Novartis Foundation
- Piotr Dmochowski-Lipski, EUTELSAT IGO
- Amir Dossal, Global Partnerships Forum
- Erik Ekudden, Ericsson
- Henrietta Fore, UNICEF
- Makhtar Diop, The World Bank
- Mats Granryd, GSMA
- KT Corporation
- Carlos Jarque, Americal Movíl
- Dato’ Ir. Lee Yee Cheong, ISTIC
- Kevin Martin, Facebook
- Patrick Masambu, ITSO
- Paul Mitchell, Microsoft
- Denis O’Brien, Digicel
- Rupert Pearce, Inmarsat
- Joanna Rubinstein, World Childhood Foundation
- Jeffrey Sachs, Columbia University
- Rob Shuter, MTN
- Stephen Spengler, Intelsat
- Hans Vestberg, Verizon
- Mukhisa Kituyi, UNCTAD
- Sun Yafang, Huawei
- Filippo Grandi, UNHCR
- Andrew Sullivan, ISOC
- Adrian Lovett, Worldwide Web Foundation
- Rwanda
- Pekka Lundmark, Nokia
External Experts
- Bill Tai, ACTAI Global
- Vera Songwe, ECA
- Pavel Koktyshev, Institute for Development and Economic Affairs, Kazhakstan
- Liv Marte Nordhaug, Norad
- David Sengeh, Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation, Sierra Leone
- Naza Alakija, SAGE
- Philip Thigo, Office of the Deputy President of Kenya,
- Rose Mosero Maina, Cabinet Secretary, Kenya
- Catherine Lenson, SoftBank
- Antonio Garcia Zaballos, IADB
- Christopher Yoo, University of Pennslyvania
- Tim Unwin, Royal Holloway, University of London
- Mohan Vivekanandan, DBSA
- Andile Ngcaba, Convergence Partners
- Mei Lin Fung, People Centered Internet
- Lauren Woodman, NetHope
- Amer Baig, Blue Like An Orange Sustainable Capital
- Ellis Rubinstein, The New York Academy of Science
- Sampath Veeraghaven, IEEE
- Alexandre Barbosa, Regional Center for studies on the Development of the Information Society
- Enrique Hinostroza, Instituto de Informática Educativa
- Lucia Dellagnelo, Center for Innovation in Brazilian Education
- Mike Lawrence, PowerSchool Group
- Mutlu Cukurova, University College London
- Shafika Isaacs, University of Johannesburg
- Shyamal Majumdar, UNESCO-UNEVOC
- Tarek Chehidi, Teach for All
- Florence Ripani, Fundación CEIBAL
- Kathleen Siminyu Artificial Intelligence Development
- Whitney Lohmeyer, Olin College of Engineering; Mangata Networks
- Carol O’ Donnell, Smithsonian Science Education Center
- David Jasmin, LAMAP Foundation
- Mr Ibrahima Guimba Saido, Minister Special Advisor to the President, Niger
- David Kelly, Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General
- Monica Jan, Virgin Orbit
- Laura Walker McDonald, DIAL
- Turhan Muluk, Telecom Policy Director & ITU-D Representative, INTEL; John Roman, Global Broadband Policy Director, INTEL
- Marija Manojlovic, Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children
- Angelina Fisher NYU
- Vishal Mathur, Telecom Infra Project (TIP)
- Amy Alvarez, AT&T