Internet access in Russian schools is lower than in underdeveloped countries

ADYGEA, 27 January, Caucasus Times. At present only 10% of schools in the Republic of Adygea have Internet access. Most of those schools are located in the republican capital Maikop. Yurii Mamyshev, Chief Expert of the Republican Ministry of Education and Science gave this information to CaucasusTimes correspondent.

In his words, at present there is only one computer per 39 schoolchildren in the Republic of Adygea. In total in the Russian Federation this proportioon is even worse – there is one computer per more than 48 children. Mamyshev noticed that according to UNESCO statistics, there is one computer per 13 children in underdeveloped countries while in developed countries this proportion is one computer per 5 children.

In the words of Adam Panesh, Head of New Technologies Department of Electric Communications Company, which is the main partner of the Ministry of Education in providing republican schools with Internet access, there are several possibilities to completely provide republican schools with the Internet. One of these possibilities is telephone connection, another one is using ADSL system and the third option is satellite connection. Panesh told that possibility of using all those technologies is currently being discussed in the Russian government as well as on the republican level.

On annual basis, 2.5 million rubles used to be allotted to Adygea from the federal budget for purchasing computers and software including Internet access. Republican Ministry of Education does not know how much money will be alloted for these needs this year. In the meantime, Ministry of Education is sure that the whole country needs a special program dealing with the improvement of Internet access in secondary schools and in higher educational institutions.