Giga Connectivity Centre
Geneva
Switzerland
- Alex Högback
- Gustavo Fonseca Ribeiro
- Carolina Anselmino
Intermediate
Event Organizer(s)
Initiative
Description
The Multi-Sector Collaborative Regulation for School Connectivity course is designed to empower government officials, regulators, and policymakers with an actionable understanding of how to effectively regulate school connectivity within a multi-sector decision-making and policymaking context. The curriculum is focused on deriving positive regulatory outcomes and creating an enabling environment that preserves investment-friendly laws and regulations. The course provides an overview of regulatory and policy challenges encompassing demand- and supply-side policies, supply-demand interdependencies, holistic planning, national stakeholder management, dispute resolution, cross-border collaboration, and case studies that highlight efforts to achieve ubiquitous Internet connectivity in schools.
Participants will be exposed to auxiliary and inter-linked policy and regulatory challenges such as national ICT sector taxation policies, infrastructure sharing, spectrum sharing, licensing frameworks, spectrum availability, utility service, construction permits and permissions, rights of way, and related fees. The course also highlights the importance of intra- and inter-governmental collaboration for school connectivity.
This course is designed for government officials, policymakers, and specialized regulatory bodies that have a legal mandate to define policy, regulation and other oversight provisions related to school connectivity, such as in ICT, education, and related domains. The program is tailored for professionals engaged in policy and regulatory development and implementation.
Qualifications or experience needed to participate in this training course:
- A background in law, telecommunications/ICT, economics, and/or regulation
- Prior experience with policy and/or regulation
- Proficiency in English
Selection criteria:
- Selection will be conducted by the course organizers, who will consider the above entry requirements along with an analysis of the application questionnaire, CV, and the recommendation and motivation letters of each applicant.
- Priority will be given to participants from countries currently engaged in Giga.
Number of available places for the cohort: 30
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Outline the policy, legal and regulatory issues informing school connectivity
- Apply holistic whole-of-government planning to expand school connectivity
- Analyse related stakeholder collaboration, both public and private sectors as well as cross-border government collaboration
- Analyse investment-friendly and pro-competition regulations that leverage school connectivity
- Evaluate the lessons learnt from school connectivity case studies
- Establish peer-to-peer contacts focused on school connectivity
The training makes use of an interactive, portfolio approach that blends expert input with applied practice and peer-to-peer learning.
Delivery of keyconcept
- Instructor-led sessions will introduce core policy, legal and regulatory frameworks, and highlight the importance of multi-sector collaboration.
Interactivity and applied learning
- Problem-based learning activities will be used in group work, with teams solving realistic multi-sector collaborative regulation challenges.
- Real world case studies will be delivered in a STAR format: participants are presented with the Situation and Task, decide their own Action, and then compare it with the actual actions and Result.
- Blueprint portfolio development will allow participants to showcase their real-world learnings and its suitability to their local context.
Knowledge reinforcement and reflection
- Reflection will be encouraged through guided exercises during the course that help participants understand their local regulatory environment.
- Peer learning will take place through discussions, regional breakouts, and plenary syntheses, enabling participants to exchange experiences across regions.
Practical roadmap
- Participants will leave with a blueprint portfolio for multi-sector collaboration for effective policy and regulation, which can be refined for real-world applications in the local context for the regulator or government official.
Learning will be assessed through participation, group work, knowledge checks, and the portfolio developed through the course, with an emphasis on applying tools and strategies in practice rather than written exams. Attendance is mandatory for all 5 days to qualify for the certificate.
- Attendance and active participation (20%)
- Applied group work (30%)
- Knowledge checks - MCQ (10%)
- Blueprint portfolio (40%)
A total score of 70% or higher is required to obtain the ITU certificate.
Financial support available
The training is offered free of charge. Travel and daily subsistence allowances will be covered for selected participants from countries currently engaged in the Giga Initiative:
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Panama, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Applicants can apply to both the course and the fellowship by clicking on "Apply Here" at the top right part of this page.
Nationals from countries not included in the list above are welcome to apply, but they must commit to self-finance all of their costs if selected.
Registration information
Unless specified otherwise, all ITU Academy training courses are open to all interested professionals, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, economic status and other diverse backgrounds. We strongly encourage registrations from female participants, and participants from developing countries. This includes least developed countries, small island developing states and landlocked developing countries.
