Disconnected

People old enough to remember that it sometimes took more than a year to get a telephone installed in a home will have considerable empathy with the primary schools unable to use computer equipment they have paid for because they do not have an adequate internet signal.

Today’s problem is of far greater consequence though, as it may stymie a whole generation’s appetite for learning and limit their career prospects.

Progress has been made towards servicing the country’s 730 second-level schools with a decent signal but many national schools, especially those in rural areas — and rural businesses — are lagging too far behind. It is not understating the case to suggest that this represents a national emergency of sorts and that the issue needs to be resolved in the shortest timeframe possible.