The Impact of the Giga Initiative on Education Outcomes in Rwanda
Abstract
This report evaluates the impact of Giga, a joint initiative of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UNICEF, on educational outcomes in Rwanda. Giga aims to connect every school worldwide to the Internet by 2030 and has already mapped schools in more than 136 countries. Rwanda, as a pilot country, implemented Giga in 63 schools, with plans to expand to over 1,700 schools nationwide. This study examined the effects of Giga on student engagement, teacher job satisfaction, and national exam scores by conducting mixed-methods research in 96 schools in Rwanda’s Bugesera district from April to May 2024. Data collection involved teacher surveys, administrative exam data, headteacher interviews, and focus group discussions with students, parents, and community members from both Giga and non-Giga schools.
Findings show that Internet connectivity alone did not improve educational outcomes. However, when combined with higher levels of teacher ICT training and effective integration of ICT into everyday teaching, Giga significantly correlated with higher student engagement and teacher job satisfaction compared to non-Giga schools. Among ICT resources used for education, computers showed the strongest association with positive outcomes. Additionally, ICT tools had significant positive effects when teachers used them to record student progress or present educational videos.
Despite these improvements, teachers identified several challenges slowing further ICT adoption, including poor Internet quality, unreliable electricity, limited ICT skills, and inadequate maintenance support. Female teachers reported lower outcomes compared to male teachers, and more experienced teachers achieved higher results. Private schools showed positive associations with student engagement, while larger class sizes slightly reduced both outcomes.
An important limitation of the study was the discovery that a substantial proportion (73%) of non-Giga schools already had some level of ICT access, complicating direct comparisons. Additionally, a longitudinal study of administrative exam records was not feasible due to incomplete data and inconsistent scoring mechanisms across years. Nevertheless, this baseline study provides clear initial insights into Giga’s potential, with evidence suggesting that teacher ICT training and effective curriculum integration strategies increase the impact of ICT on educational outcomes.
Read the full piece at SSRN.