City pushes digitalization of school infrastructure / W-LAN installed at Leibnizschule

Offenbach is one of the few school authorities in Hesse that has already connected all schools to the fiber optic network and thus provided them with fast Internet. With the super-fast bandwidth of 1 gigabit, all schools are now in a position to use the Wi-Fi network for educational purposes once it has been expanded. The connection to fast Internet was an important prerequisite for the further installation of digital infrastructure with the money from the so-called "Digital Pact". "We immediately applied for the funds from this federal and state funding program and were also the first city in Hesse to receive a notice of approval for the Leibniz School," reports Head of Schools Paul-Gerhard Weiß. "In the meantime, we have also received further notifications for the other schools. We will use the money primarily to set up Wi-Fi networks in the schools."

At Leibnizschule, the installation of the Wi-Fi network has now made good progress. A total of around 480,000 euros in funding has been earmarked for this secondary school alone. In the Europe-wide tender, the city was able to win over a renowned company from Bad Soden-Salmünster, which already supports the expansion of W-LAN networks for other school authorities. More than 40 kilometers of cables are now being laid at Leibnizschule, over 60 distributors are being installed and more than 140 access points will ultimately be available for use. "Because standards and performance in digital infrastructure change quickly, we are equipping the Wi-Fi networks so that they can be expanded in scope and performance in the future. The schools in Offenbach will then have a trouble-free, high-performance and secure network that can be designed according to individual requirements," Weiß continues. Once the work has been completed, all school areas required by the funding program will be provided with a W-LAN in accordance with the specifications of the Hessian Ministry of Education. In this way, the city is creating the conditions for schools to successfully implement new pedagogical concepts for the digitalization of education. This creates the opportunity to use modern media in the classroom and digital teaching modules. "Access to educational media resources will no longer be limited to the computer room, but will take place directly in the classroom."

Next in line are the Albert-Schweitzer-Schule for 380,000 euros, the Rudolf-Koch-Schule for 320,000 euros and the Gewerblich-Technische-Schulen with 250,000 euros. In the next batches from January 2021, the other schools will follow, starting with the Erich-Kästner-Schule, Eichendorfschule, Goetheschule and Schillerschule. The order is based on the location of the school rather than the type of school. The aim of this is to ensure that the company can continue working in another school if work in one facility has to be suspended for a short time due to lessons taking place there or other necessities. "In this way, we prevent disruption to lessons on the one hand and delays for the other schools on the other." Despite the coronavirus circumstances, the implementation of the program is currently on schedule and should be completed in December 2022. By this date, all schools in Offenbach should be covered by Wi-Fi.

According to the company commissioned by the city, construction progress is very much dependent on the respective structures on site. For example, drilling holes or laying cables in buildings, some of which are 150 years old, is often unexpectedly complicated. By constantly adapting the work on site in coordination with the school management, it can be continued time and again. This cooperation is necessary as work has to be carried out while the school is in operation. Simply carrying out the work during the vacations would jeopardize implementation by the funding deadline. "Our schedule is ambitious, but necessary because the city, as the school authority, wants to equip Offenbach's schools with Wi-Fi networks as quickly as possible once they have been connected to the broadband Internet. Once we have achieved this, Offenbach's schools will have the best conditions for digital teaching." This will require intensive cooperation between school management, site managers and the city education authority. "Our thanks go to the school principals, who are giving us massive support here," says Weiß. "It is only through this cooperation that such projects can be implemented."