- Children and young people were the first to come home. The centers explained that they were going to try to give continuity to school tasks over the Internet. However, in all homes there is no internet access and some of the students have been left out of the game. Izarkom, the cooperative telecommunications operator in the Basque Country, is collaborating with schools at the lowest price possible so that they can connect to several homes.
The Izarkom cooperative, founded three years ago, is one of its founders, Gari Garaialde. Euskadi Irratia has interviewed him on the project they have launched within the initiative. Garaialde explained that in this very serious situation they were easily informed that the workers were going to telework and that the students were going to leave their homes. However, the digital divide is not in Kazakhstan, but “in our villages and neighborhoods. We don’t all live connected.”
It was the partner and professor of the cooperative Mikel García who launched the hook, since four or five of his students had no connection. What could the cooperative do to somehow bridge the gap? SIM cards are sent to schools and teachers are responsible for reaching the homes of people in need. The cards have a certain amount of data for the Internet that, according to Garaialde’s calculation, allows them to keep their home for a month. The cooperative indicates that it is distributing cards below the cost price, i.e. a 17-gigabyte card for EUR 11 (VAT included). Izarkom offers connection, not computer or tablet. Several centres are making such supplies.
27 SIM cards have been distributed and information has been requested from 20-30 schools.
Parents who need it at home and those who know someone offline are asked to report it at the appropriate center. The centres have been asked to make requests or to inform the following address info@izarkom.eus.