50x15, NComputing and BRAC Join Forces to Build Education-Based Learning Labs Throughout Bangladesh

Deployment Date and Location
In May 2008, several education-based 50x15 Learning Labs were deployed throughout Bangladesh. With the help of NComputing and BRAC, thousands of students now have access to Internet communication technology (ICT).

Challenge
Bangladesh is among the most densely populated countries in the world and has a high poverty rate. The children of Bangladesh have not had the same level of access to ICT as children in developed countries, preventing them from fully participating in the global economy.

Solution
BRAC is one of the world's largest NGOs based in Bangladesh, and provides support in rural communities for microfinance, agriculture, healthcare and education. BRAC was looking for a low-cost way to deploy computer solutions in local schools. Cost, ease of management and maintenance and power consumption were key issues.

As part of their efforts to alleviate poverty in Bangladesh, BRAC developed an initiative to provide technology-based education support for schools throughout Bangladesh. The initiative teaches children computer literacy and gives them access to the education system from anywhere in the country.

Who Benefits?
Computer technology is an important tool for educating children. Children in Bangladesh often have no access to ICT in their homes. Providing ICT to schools allows children to expand their education and make them more marketable to future employers.

Rural children, in particular, will benefit from this project. Making ICT available in their villages will give them the opportunity to stay at home to learn and work instead of having to move to the overcrowded cities.

Deployment Environment
Located in a low-lying delta where the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers converge, and in a tropical climate, Bangladesh is under constant threat of river flooding, typhoons and cyclones, which create obstacles to economic growth. Despite continuous efforts by the international community, the country has remained a developing nation. Since the 1990s, however, its economy has had an annual growth rate of 5%. Many factors have contributed to the growth of the middle class in Bangladesh, especially the rise of microcredit.

The individual deployments took place in existing school facilities with available library space. The learning labs were installed in schools all over the country, some in rural areas and some in urban centers.

Power
Electrical power is available throughout the country, although shortages and revolving outages are common. There are also times when the power fluctuates, making uninterrupted power supplies (UPS) essential. Because of the humid climate, grounding for PC setup as well as the wireless tower at each school was crucial.

Connectivity
Connectivity was provided by bracNet, a for-profit subsidiary of BRAC. bracNet is in the process of setting up WiMAX coverage across Bangladesh and provided each school with a WiMAX tower for Internet access.

Devices
Devices for this learning lab were provided by 50x15 technology partner NComputing. NComputing is a California-based company that has deployed hundreds of thousands of shared computing solutions for education institutions in more than 70 countries around the world. The solution chosen for this implementation was the NComputing X300. The X300 kit includes a PCI card that goes into the host computer, and three access devices. The access devices, which are about half the size of a small book, hook up to standard peripherals, such as a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. With two X300 kits, one computer can power seven users — three for each PCI card and a seventh at the original computer. With the NComputing X300, seven users can simultaneously share a single computer.

Financing
Funding for this learning lab was provided by several sources. NComputing supplied a number of PCs, AMD funded computer support, bracNet provided the wireless technology for the labs and BRAC supplied the training for teachers and librarians. BRAC plans to finance the maintenance and upkeep of the learning labs through community grants, community participation and by charging nominal fees for advanced ICT classes and community access.

Content
Content was provided in both English and Bengali. Microsoft^® Windows^® XP packages were installed on the PCs, as was Microsoft Office. BRAC provided a proprietary educational content portal in the Bengali language.

Expertise
Teacher and librarian training on basic computer support and ICT teaching was provided by BRAC. System integration of the AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core processor-based PCs was provided by Axis Technologies, which was instrumental in installing the labs and insuring proper operation.

Deployment Issues
The main problem faced by those deploying the learning labs was the humidity and the need to provide good grounding connections for the WiMAX towers and computer equipment. Other issues included small room sizes and teacher training challenges.

Deployment Results
A total of ten schools have been connected for ICT with many more in development. Efforts are underway to formulate policies that allow each school to become self-sufficient along with soliciting funds from other international aid agencies.