Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery today announced the bandwidth capacity at Geraldton Senior High School has been increased by 50 times as part of a McGowan Government initiative to improve access to modern learning opportunities.
In December 2020, the State Government announced that almost all Western Australian public schools, including Geraldton Senior High School, would receive significant bandwidth increases to meet the growing demand for students to access learning materials online.
The upgrades, which are now in use at Geraldton Senior High School, provide faster and more efficient access to online classroom tools and allow the school to use a full range of technologies including high-definition multimedia content.
The upgrades also allow for improved bandwidth performance during key education assessments, such as NAPLAN and OLNA.
In addition, it has allowed the school to invest in ICT infrastructure to provide additional opportunities for students.
As well as increasing the digital capacity for schools across WA, the bandwidth upgrades benefit surrounding communities with significant levels of spare bandwidth capacity that are able to be used by telecommunication service providers to deliver services to the community.
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
“Schools are increasingly using digital technologies in the classroom to access online learning resources.
“These bandwidth upgrades enable students to learn in a contemporary environment.
“Teachers are able to effectively use digital technologies and learning resources in the classroom to enhance student learning.
“The local Geraldton community will also be able to benefit from the spare bandwidth capacity.”
As stated by Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton:
“It’s more important than ever for Geraldton students to have quality access to the latest online tools and learn vital STEM skills.
“This project will enrich educational opportunities at Geraldton Senior High School, and I’m proud to be part of a government that is prioritising setting regional students up to be able to navigate the online world.”
