Urgent need for action: 50% of Meißen schools without fast internet!

Urgent need for action: 50% of Meißen schools without fast internet!

In Saxony there is a clear discrepancy when it comes to the digital connection of schools. More than 20 public schools in the Meißen district are still waiting for a fiber optic connection, although the state government has hatched ambitious plans. Loud Sächsische.de 50% of the public schools in this district are not yet equipped with fast internet. The figures that a member of the state parliament asked the Saxon Ministry of Culture are particularly alarming: of 41 public primary schools, 21 do not have a fiber optic connection.

The situation at secondary schools is similar: 10 out of 21 also do not have fast internet access, and at high schools it is 7 out of 9. Special schools and vocational schools are also affected, because 4 out of 8 and 2 out of 3 are not provided with fiber optics. This means Meißen lags behind the Saxon average, where 74% of schools have fast internet.

Initiatives and goals

But not everything is lost. The government has ambitious plans: by the end of 2023, 82% of all Saxon schools should be connected to the fiber optic network, with the goal of providing almost all schools with high-speed Internet by 2029. The Broadband Initiative of the Saxon State Ministry for Culture is a central contact point. This initiative has set itself the task of bringing non-economically viable locations online through funded programs, such as schule.sachsen.de reported.

Currently, over 1,800 Saxon school locations are integrated into the project. Around 74% of these locations are already directly connected to fiber, and around 82% of schools will be covered by the end of 2025. There is a clear division of tasks: While the DigitalPakt School is primarily aimed at networking within schools, the federal funding program focuses on connecting schools to the Internet.

Challenges and solutions

However, the reality is often different. In many schools, the internet speed is not sufficient to use digital media effectively. A DSL connection at home often offers a higher data transfer rate than what is available at schools, where the bandwidth is shared among many users. This is done by the Digital Pact School seen as problematic for modern teaching.

The ongoing projects to open up schools are crucial to closing the digital divide and making Saxony an educational location future-proof. However, the question remains whether the planned measures can be implemented in time. A fast internet connection is not only a necessity, but also a basic requirement in order to equip all students for the digital future.

The coming years will show whether the state government's ambitious goals can actually be achieved and how school management, teachers and students will benefit from these changes. One thing is certain: the move towards digital education must finally get going.