Galaxy Backbone PLC, the leading public sector ICT Infrastructure Company based in Abuja has signed a contract agreement with the Anambra State Government to provide internet connectivity with video conferencing capabilities to 110 secondary schools in the state.

The State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi who signed the contract papers with the Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone PLC, Mr Gerald Ilukwe said that the initiative is in line with his drive to develop human capital and turn the state into a 21^st century knowledge society through the provision of network connectivity that will be accessible to students and teachers at a fast speed in the Anambra State secondary education system.

According to Obi, his administration has demonstrated its commitment to uplift the standard of education in the state, “You may be familiar with our chequered recent past in this state, but we are making sure that we will bring the state back to its lost glory, restore hope and move education forward to achieve the desired change in this state. We have started the building of 4,000 classrooms across the state, the largest anywhere in the country. Just last week we provided 108 schools with generating set, now the internet connectivity to 110 secondary schools in the first phase. We are moving also to the Microsoft Academy which we intend to establish in the state”, Obi said.

Earlier, the Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone PLC, Mr. Gerald Ilukwe assured that the partnership with Galaxy Backbone is a demonstration of the governor’s promise and commitment to lifting the standard of education in the state. He assured Anambra people that Galaxy Backbone would be partners to the Obi administration to ensure progress in the education sector in the state.

In his remarks, the Corporate Executive in charge of States, Education & Development department of the Galaxy Backbone PLC, Mr. Yusuf Kazaure commended Governor Obi for his efforts towards upgrading the educational standard of the state, saying that it is a revolution in the annals of the nation's education sector. The ICT initiative will foster collaborative relationships between teachers and students in the development and sharing of content applications and other resources as well as stimulating capacity building among educational institutions in the state. "We are committed to the Governor Obi’s vision for the  state and when we are able to succeed at this level, the state will be better for it because the governor’s mission is to turn the state in a 21^st century knowledge society."

The network connectivity initiative would enhance the development of human capital in the state. Kazaure added that human capital development is the hope of the world, and that the initiative of the governor would ensure growth in the state in the future.

Kazaure later told reporters that the contract for the provision of internet connectivity & access for 1^st 110 secondary schools in the state would be the largest any state government had signed on. "This is the beginning of a new era for students and teachers in Anambra State. They will enjoy internet services at a faster speed on a secured network. This will definitely create opportunity for them which they will explore for the benefit of this state. A very important benefit of the connectivity is the ability to share information in a cost-effective manner and this will create opportunities for the educational institutions to share multimedia information, create and disseminate contents, and collaborate in the dissemination of knowledge"

 He added that video conferencing capabilities of the network would help students in the state to connect, meet and learn faster.  The Installation of the internet in the schools would officially be launched in the state next Monday at Awka.