Cases & Voices

Make free internet available to students in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability enrolled in institutions of the federal network throughout the country. This is the goal of the “Connected Students” Project of the Ministry of Education of Brazil (MEC), which began to be implemented by the Brazilian advanced network, RNP, in October. With the action, in this pandemic scenario, it will be possible to resume academic activities remotely this year and these students will be able to access the educational content offered by the institutions where they study. More than that: the project contributes to democratizing access to education, promoting digital inclusion and reducing inequalities in access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), especially in areas further away from large centers.

Source: (Ministry of Education of Brazil - MEC) This mission began to come true: in recent weeks, 28,426 chips were delivered to 34 universities and federal institutions of the federal network of professional scientific and technological education throughout the country, from Acre to Rio Grande do Sul. The chips are unlocked by operators and are aimed at low-income students to which they belong through requesting educational institutions. It's just the beginning: in the first six months, the measure aims to benefit around 400,000 students, prioritizing those whose monthly family income is up to 0.5 minimum wages.

With the support of the Federal Government, these students will be able to use the broadband service at home, using mobile data packages (4G). As soon as students receive them, the chips can be used and these students can enjoy the benefit throughout the semester, without any navigation blockage. The initial franchise charge for the chips is 20GB, renewed every 30th of each month. The number of chips sent to each institution was established according to the need reported by them to the Ministry of Education. The only rule determined by the MEC is that universities cannot have their classes suspended or without an expected return.

One of the institutions that has already received the requested chips was the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA). On Friday (10/9) 2,342 units were delivered to the institution and sent to students eligible for the benefit. Professor Dr. Leonardo Silva Soares, Dean of Student Services at the University comments: “When we learned about the Connected Student Projects, we set up a multisectoral technical committee to meet all the demands of RNP / MEC, because we knew that the availability of chips would be essential to guarantee the connectivity of our students with vulnerable socioeconomic conditions. We launched a specific call, we selected students and now we are delivering the files. We are very happy to have completed this process and I thank the entire MEC / RNP team who have always given full support to all the demands of the Federal University of Maranhão ”.

The chips were essential for students like Matheus de Souza Cardoso, who is in his first year of Chemical Engineering at UFMA. “When I arrived at UFMA, my expectations were high for being a public and federal university, as well as being a very special opportunity for me and my family. However, the pandemic arrived and, with it, the paralysis of the classes. From the beginning, the University made an effort to return to classes, even if it is online so that the students do not harm us. They gave us some help, including the tablet, of which I was one of the beneficiaries. And now with Chip it is being excellent, as I have already done. I can continue the classes, I even took a test and downloaded a book from my area to study, I feel at the University, having a quality class and with the virtual contact that the professors improve more and more. These Chips must be delivered throughout Brazil, so that more students have access to information and education”, commented the student.