Many schools receive computers before they have the room, power, network or people to keep them running. A year later, half the machines are unused: a power supply has blown, the Wi-Fi password was lost, or nobody knows how to reinstall Windows. The equipment was never the hard part.
Many schools receive computers before they have the room, power, network or people to keep them running. A year later, half the machines are unused: a power supply has blown, the Wi-Fi password was lost, or nobody knows how to reinstall Windows. The equipment was never the hard part.
This guide is for heads, bursars, school boards and donors planning ICT for primary and secondary schools in Zanzibar. It covers the room, the power, the network, safe internet, and the maintenance that keeps it all working.
Power cuts and surges. A lab of thirty computers that switches off mid-lesson loses work and teaching time. Surges when power returns damage power supplies, chargers and switches. Many schools outside Unguja town also have a weak or unreliable grid connection.
Heat, dust and humidity. A hot classroom with open windows fills computers with dust, and humid air near the coast corrodes connectors. Machines run hotter and fail sooner.
Thick walls and spread-out buildings. Classroom blocks are often separate buildings with coral-stone or concrete walls. Wi-Fi from the office will not reach a classroom across the yard.
Internet varies by area. Some schools can get fibre; many rely on 4G or fixed wireless. Bandwidth is shared by every pupil at once, so it runs out quickly.
Skills and spare parts. Technicians are scarce outside town, and parts often come from Dar es Salaam. A school with no one trained in basic maintenance will wait days or weeks for simple repairs.
Security. Computers and projectors are attractive to thieves, especially during holidays.
Child safety. Children need protection from harmful content, and the school has a duty of care whenever it provides internet access.
Lab layout matters too. Arranging desks around the walls lets the teacher see every screen from the middle of the room.
Note Filtering on the school network does not protect a pupil's own phone on mobile data. Your ICT policy should cover phones too.
Where the grid is unreliable, a solar system with batteries can run a lab, but size it to the load, not to a budget figure. Ask your installer for a load calculation based on the number and type of computers, hours of use and days of backup.
Warning Solar, batteries and mains wiring can cause electric shock, burns and fire. Only a qualified electrician or solar installer should install or modify them.
Secondary schools typically need more: a larger lab or several, a server or cloud system for school records and exam results, staff laptops, projectors in classrooms, and possibly a science or technical lab with specialist software. The Skills Lab Center at Lumumba is a training facility where Extrion delivered LAN, fibre, CCTV, PA, fire/safety and IT infrastructure: the same building blocks a large secondary school or college needs.
A primary school can start with a smaller lab or a set of laptops in a charging cabinet that moves between classrooms, a projector, and Wi-Fi in the staff room. Robust, simple equipment matters more than speed.
Use the IT budget planner to plan the cost over several years, not just the purchase.
More about our work in the sector is on the education page.
Desktops last longer and are harder to steal; laptops use less power, work on battery during cuts and can move between classrooms. Many schools choose desktops for a fixed lab and a laptop trolley for classrooms.
It depends on how many people use it at once and for what. Start with what the curriculum needs, then add bandwidth limits so one user cannot take everything.
Yes, if the system is sized for the real load and the batteries are looked after. Ask for a written load calculation.
Basic DNS filtering can be low-cost and runs on existing equipment. More detailed filtering and reporting need a firewall and someone to manage it.
A trained staff member for daily tasks, and an IT provider for repairs, updates and anything electrical.
If you are planning a new lab, a donation, or a whole-school network, Extrion can survey the site, plan the power and network, and help maintain it. See our IT management services or contact us.
This guide is general information to help you plan. Prices, product features and regulations change, so confirm the details for your own site before you buy.
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