The Federal Government’s National Strategy for Connected Schools (Enec) marked its first anniversary in September and represents a historic moment in Brazil by consolidating strategies and policies focused on the use of technology in education, with the goal of ensuring universal access to high-quality internet connections for educational and administrative purposes in public school systems by 2026. Only 30% of these schools have internet speeds adequate for educational use, according to the public indicators we have been tracking.

On the other hand, certain factors may contribute to a more optimistic outlook for ENEC’s growth in the coming years. A key factor is the unprecedented budget of over R$ 8 billion, with funds from the 5G auction and the Telecommunications Services Universalization Fund (FUST), supplemented by the Connected Education Innovation Program (PIEC) and funds from Law 14,172 of 2021.

In the month marking ENEC’s first anniversary, we recorded an episode on the topic for CIEBCast, the videocast of the Center for Innovation in Brazilian Education, which shares best practices and resources to facilitate the adoption of technology in school systems across the country. In attendance were Hermano Tercius, Secretary of Telecommunications at the Ministry of Communications, and Anita Stefani, Director of Educational Management Support at the Ministry of Education (MEC) .

During his appearance on the episode, Hermano Tercius stated that following the pilot phase, an additional 1,800 schools will be connected later this year using funds from the 5G auction. “The first year of the strategy was about getting the ball rolling. That’s 138,000 schools in just over two years. That works out to about 160 schools per day, and in the time we’ve been talking here, there are already 15 schools that need to be connected,” the secretary emphasized, reaffirming the commitment announced a year ago by Education Minister Camilo Santana to bring connectivity for educational purposes to all public elementary and secondary schools by the end of 2026.

Anita, for her part, announced the publication of a national price registry, funded by the National Education Development Fund (FNDE), which municipalities can join to use when procuring electronic devices. The project is scheduled to begin with the new municipal administrations in 2025 and will assist school districts that often “have their own resources but need support with the bidding process, which is complex, bureaucratic, and requires a specialized technical team.”

In the areas of curriculum, competencies, and training, the MEC also highlighted the launch of the Framework for Teachers’ Digital Knowledge, which defines the essential digital technology skills for teachers. This document serves as the basis for improving teaching practices and guides the development of training policies by school districts. Based on this framework, a self-assessment tool was developed and made available on the AVAMEC platform, through which teachers can identify their level of digital competency. The results of the self-assessment provide teachers with recommendations for professional development pathways.

With the prospect of a significant increase in the number of schools connected to the internet by 2025, a policy to promote digital literacy—one that expands opportunities for teacher training—could enable new municipal administrations to integrate technology into the curriculum, thereby fostering greater dynamism and providing access to resources that can help reduce educational inequalities and improve student learning.

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