NZ largest high school to upgrade IT systems

As part of the Ministry of Education’s School Network Upgrade Project, New Zealand’s largest secondary school—Rangitoto College—is planning to improve its IT system and provide its 3200 students free internet access from next year.

The school has developed a wi-fi network that will cover 134 classrooms on the school’s 31 hectares.

Associate Principal Don Hastie says there are 130 access points and each one can support up to 90 devices. The programme is part of NZ$1.5 million (US$1.2 million) investment for upgrading the school IT systems. About NZ$1 million (US$830,000) was spent on recabling as part of Education Ministry’s project.

Rangitoto College is connected to the one gigabit fibre optic North Shore Education Access Loop that was partly funded by the Labour government’s Broadband Challenge initiative.

By next year, Hastie said every classroom will have wireless connectivity, eight hard-wired access points and mounted projection system.

The school has sent parents a booklet that explains the school’s IT upgrade and which invites students to bring their digital devices to school in 2012.

Hastie says they will welcome devices such as PCs, tablets and netbooks, but cellphones – including smartphones – will remain a banned item for students.

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