Cool Ideas provides free fibre internet to 300 local schools and counting

Access to information has become an essential part of almost every aspect of modern-day life, education included. This means digital connectivity is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity.

Sadly, many schools across SA struggle with the costs and infrastructure required to provide internet access. But one internet service provider (ISP) has stepped up to help bridge this digital divide. 

Over the past eight years, Cool Ideas has been expanding its fibre and LTE networks across the country to expedite access to digital information through high-speed internet connectivity.

While doing so, through its Cool Schools initiative, the ISP has collaborated with schools in eight provinces and counting to ensure that, as its network grows, so too does learners' and educators' access to information.

Through this remarkable upliftment project, a free fibre internet connection with speeds of up to 1,000Mb/s (1Gb/s) is provided to qualifying schools. This way, the leaders of tomorrow are given access to the online educational resources needed to support their growth.

The Cool School initiative not only greatly benefits these learners and their teachers, but has a knock-on effect that could benefit the country as a whole. Especially when you consider a recent report from Unicef, which states that providing schools with internet access has the potential to boost the GDP of the world's least-connected nations by up to 20%.

The Cool Schools initiative started in 2015 when the first school, Parkhurst Primary in Johannesburg, was connected on a trial basis. Since then, new schools have been added every month. Cool Ideas has also collaborated with fibre providers such as Vumatel, Evotel, Octotel and Frogfoot to provide these schools with further support.

“Every child in SA deserves the best education possible to prepare them to live a fulfilled life. Access to technology and digital connectivity is an essential part of this process,” says Duwane Peters, Cool Ideas' marketing manager.

“We're supplying more than 300 schools with fibre connectivity and we're not going to stop there. As we keep expanding our network and developing our routes, we will add as many schools as we can.”

For the schools that have joined the Cool Schools initiative so far, the project has made a world of difference. 

“[Installing] the free 1 Gig fibre line provided by Cool Ideas was one of the best decisions ever made in the interest of moving the school forward,” says Randall Abrahams, principal of Tamboerskloof Primary School in Cape Town.

“It's been a real game-changer for our school community as, in addition to the internet access, we could also seamlessly connect our telephone system to operate through our fast and reliable fibre line.”

“From all the stakeholders: the principal, governing body, staff, learners and parents, we thank Cool Ideas. We are so reliant on internet access and what we are being provided benefits the teachers and learners so much,” says Belinda Mlambo, an educator at JC Curtis Nkondo School of Specialisation in Soweto.

To qualify for the Cool Schools initiative, schools need to meet specific criteria, such as being a public school in SA, having a minimum of 50 learners, and being situated in a Cool Ideas coverage area. Qualifying schools can apply to join the initiative by reaching out to their local Cool Ideas school representative via email: schools@coolideas.co.za.

For more information about Cool Ideas and its products, click here or visit the brand's YouTube channel.

This article was sponsored by Cool Ideas.