Why are school-based telecenters special?
Schools often have strong relations with their communities already. They nurture children and at times reach out to adults and at-risk youth. They may receive computer labs and communications hook-ups as part of national educational programs or from Parent and Teacher Associations.

A school's Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) represent a powerful resource for children and adults.
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Why should a school decide to become a telecenter?
Many schools with computer labs face obstacles of sustainability. Even when the hardware is free, there are costs for repairs and upgrades, supplies such as printer cartridges and paper, training for teachers, and the connection to the Internet.

Opening their doors as a telecenter is a way that schools can recover their operating costs while improving the quality of life in their communities.
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How do adults and children share access to the computer?
Every school telecenter has its own timetable. But many schools invite adults in the morning before class, during lunchtime, and after school.

Other school telecenters open for continuing education for teachers during school holidays and breaks.
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What are chief obstacles to a successful school-based telecenter?
Finding a good telecenter manager-someone with technology skills but also with good "people" skills-is essential.

Arranging the telecenter timetable so that it doesn't conflict with student use is also very important.

However, planning is the single most important factor in a telecenter's success. A telecenter operations plan can identify the skills needed for the telecenter manager, guide decision-making about the timetable, and help personnel identify who the likely users in the community are and what their needs might be.
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How many school telecenters are there?
No one knows for sure. World Links and SchoolNet Uganda are associated with over 20 in Uganda and Zimbabwe. And we're aware of 4 in Lao PDR, as well as several in Latin America. But school telecenters remain a new and rapidly evolving concept.

That's why we've built this site: To help you keep in contact and informed!
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Who supports the School Telecenters website?
Our site is supported by the Education program of the World Bank Institute.

But you can make direct contributions of information and resources. Do you have a story to tell about community involvement? Do you know of free software that can benefit school telecenters? Let us know!
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How can I contribute to School Telecenters?
We have plans to make this site more interactive, so that you and others will be able to share resources easily. For now, please send your information resources, questions, and comments to: info@schooltelecenters.org
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