- Alex Högback
Intermediate
Event Organizer(s)
Initiative
Description
This course equips Universal Service Fund (USF) managers, policymakers, regulators, and other officials with the knowledge and practical tools needed to use USFs to finance school connectivity projects. Participants will learn how to identify school connectivity constraints, assess the economic and financial drivers behind them, prioritise schools for intervention and structure USF financing to address coverage, affordability and sustainability. The course examines the distinctive role of USFs in financing school connectivity, including how they address market failures, when they are best suited to finance network expansion or address affordability challenges as well as how their role complements broader government funding and policy initiatives. Each module contributes to a capstone project, where participants apply the concepts introduced in the course to develop a practical School Connectivity Financing and Implementation Plan that can be used by USFs to finance school connectivity programs.
Target population
This course is designed for professionals involved in financing, regulating, or implementing school connectivity programmes, such as:
- Universal Service Fund (USF) managers and technical staff responsible for designing, administering, or overseeing USF-financed programmes
- Policymakers and officials from ministries and regulatory authorities who oversee universal service and access policy
- ICT professionals and technical advisors implementing national school connectivity programmes
Kindly note this course is restricted to users who meet the following criterial:
Entry requirements
Qualifications or experience needed to participate in this training course:
- An undergraduate degree in a relevant subject (e.g. economics, public policy, law, telecommunications, engineering)
- At least three years’ professional experience in telecommunications/ICT policy, regulation, or universal service/access programmes
- Familiarity with Universal Service Funds or comparable public financing mechanisms
- Ability to learn and participate in a course conducted in advanced-level English
Selection criteria:
- Applicants must complete the online application and submit an up-to-date CV together with a letter of recommendation from their employer and/or a motivation letter explaining how they intend to apply the course learnings in their own country and institution
- Selection will be carried out by the course organisers based on the above entry requirements and a holistic review of the application materials.
Number of available places for the cohort: 30 participants, to ensure a high-quality, interactive learning experience.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Identify school connectivity constraints
- Analyse the economic and institutional drivers affecting school connectivity
- Assess the capacity and suitability of USFs to finance school connectivity
- Prioritise schools for USF intervention
- Select appropriate USF financing mechanisms for different school connectivity scenarios
- Develop a school connectivity financing and implementation plan for their own country’s USF
Methodology
The course will be delivered online and will be instructor-led. While course material will be available for offline study (readings, presentations and case studies), regular live sessions will lead participants through the course. Learning will be reinforced through a capstone project that is developed progressively through all modules. Participants apply the tools and frameworks introduced at each module to produce a School Connectivity Financing and Implementation Plan for their own country’s USF (as applicable). Opportunities for peer learning will be incorporated through group discussions and review of participant’s financing strategies and implementation approaches.
Assessment and grading
Participation and engagement in the course: 10%
Module exercises (short applied activities based on content from the module): 20%
Final capstone project: 70%
Total: 100%
A total score of 70% or higher is required to obtain the ITU certificate.
Certificate of completion
Upon completion, you will receive an ITU Academy certificate confirming that you have met the course requirements and achieved the learning outcomes.
Training details and instructional approach
Module 1: Assessing School Connectivity Needs and Constraints
Session 1 - Week 1, Monday, 06:00-08:00 PST:
- Mapping schools and infrastructure
- Diagnosing supply-side constraints
- Diagnosing demand-side constraints
Map schools and relevant infrastructure, and use available evidence to identify the main supply-side and demand-side constraints affecting school connectivity.
Instructor presentation and demonstration of school and infrastructure datasets; mapping exercise using participant country data; analysis of coverage, backhaul, service availability, affordability, devices and usage; begin the Module 1 diagnostic for the Capstone Project.
Session 2 - Week 1, Thursday 06:00-08:00 PST:
- Diagnosing procurement and coordination constraints
- Technology trade-offs for schools
Identify procurement and coordination barriers and compare the suitability, costs and limitations of different connectivity technologies for schools.
Instructor presentation; review examples of procurement and coordination problems; compare fibre, fixed wireless, mobile and satellite options; apply technology trade-offs to different school contexts; complete the Module 1 diagnostic section of the Capstone Project.
Module 2: Assessing Universal Service Fund Readiness for School Connectivity
Session 1 - Week 2, Monday 06:00-08:00 PST:
- Financial capacity
- Fund performance & disbursement
Assess the financial capacity of a USF by reviewing its revenue sources, available balances and resources for school connectivity, and evaluate how effectively funds are collected and disbursed.
Instructor presentation; review USF revenue and funding models; analyse fund balances, collections, allocations and disbursements; apply the financial capacity and fund performance assessment to participants' own USFs.
Session 2 - Week 2, Thursday 06:00-08:00 PST:
- Strategic alignment
Assess whether the USF's mandate, governance, institutional arrangements and implementation capacity support school connectivity programmes.
Instructor presentation and country examples; assess mandate, governance, decision-making, procurement capacity and coordination arrangements; identify institutional strengths and gaps; complete the relevant section of the USF readiness assessment.
Session 3 - Week 3, Monday 06:00-08:00 PST:
- Intervention design
- Capstone project
Determine when USF intervention is justified, establish the scale and prioritisation of support, assess school readiness, and define the roles of the USF, Ministry of Education and other stakeholders.
Apply the intervention design framework to participants' countries; determine whether and how the USF should intervene; assess school readiness; identify institutional responsibilities; complete and review the Module 2 USF readiness and intervention design sections of the Capstone Project.
Module 3: Financing School Connectivity Through Universal Service Funds
Session 1 - Week 3, Thursday 06:00-08:00 PST:
- Financing coverage expansion
- Financing affordability
Select financing mechanisms for expanding broadband coverage and measures that reduce the cost of connectivity for schools.
Instructor presentation; compare financing mechanisms for coverage expansion and affordability; analyse country examples; match instruments to the barriers identified in Modules 1 and 2; begin the Module 3 financing strategy.
Session 2 - Week 4, Monday 06:00-08:00 PST:
- Ensuring long term sustainability
Develop measures that support the financial and operational sustainability of school connectivity after initial funding has been provided.
Instructor presentation and case studies; assess recurring costs, long-term funding commitments, shared access, community models and managed services; select suitable sustainability measures for participants' financing strategies.
Session 3 - Week 4, Thursday 06:00-08:00 PST:
- Developing a financing strategy
- Capstone project
Combine financing mechanisms, sustainability measures and implementation arrangements into a practical School Connectivity Financing and Implementation Plan.
Develop implementation and delivery arrangements; define institutional responsibilities and monitoring requirements; integrate the Module 3 components; peer review and refine the School Connectivity Financing and Implementation Plan for the Capstone Project.
Module 4: Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation
Session 1 - Week 5, Monday 06:00-08:00 PST:
- Preparing projects for implementation
- Procurement and project delivery
Assess school readiness and apply transparent criteria to prioritise schools for investment.
Instructor presentation; assess minimum readiness conditions, including electricity, security, devices and institutional capacity; develop and apply prioritisation criteria based on need, readiness, equity and expected impact; begin the Module 4 capstone work.
Session 2 - Week 5, Thursday 06:00-08:00 PST:
- Monitoring frameworks
- Programme evaluation
- Capstone project
Group and sequence school connectivity investments and develop a monitoring framework with clear baselines, indicators, targets and reporting responsibilities.
Package schools into implementation groups or lots; estimate costs and sequence investments; define monitoring indicators, baselines, targets and reporting arrangements; complete and present the final Capstone Project.
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.
