The Research and Education Network of Uganda (RENU) has recently announced that the Ministry of Education and Sports in the country has now joined eduroam and is making use of the service. This follows Uganda’ government vision 2060, in which the ministry developed a 5-year Digital Agenda Strategy for Education and Sports to facilitate the adoption of ICT in teaching, learning and management of education and sports systems for efficient and effective services delivery. The main goal of this agenda is to expand the educational opportunities available in the country by enhancing the quality of learning, research and innovation amongst other things.
In line with the government’s digital agenda, RENU’s overall goal is to improve the quality of education and research through provision of high-speed Internet connectivity and other affordable ICT solutions. To achieve this goal, RENU has been at the forefront of coming up with several innovative solutions for the research and education community, with eduroam being one of the major cutting-edge solutions.
In a significant milestone in rolling out the critical internet connectivity services of eduroam to the entire education sector in Uganda, RENU and the ministry have announced the integration of the ministry into eduroam, the free secure and trusted Wi-Fi for internet. This is of great value as it enables staff at the Ministry to now access free Internet not only within the Ministry premises but also from the hundreds of Metro eduroam hotspots within Kampala, Mukono, Entebbe, and several upcountry cities and towns; in cafes, malls, hostels,
fueling stations, the Airport, and other areas of convergence within Uganda. Ministry officials can also access the service in over 100
countries that have deployed the eduroam globally, and in the institutions connected to the RENU network in Uganda.
This serves to show the impact that NRENs have in their countries in going beyond the classroom to support those in research and education at all levels. RENU continues to set a good example for eduroam operators in Africa and beyond. To read the full article click here.