Aging wi-fi systems received attention as part of Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools’ summertime maintenance projects.
School trustees, at a business committee meeting Sept. 13, heard a report on work done while school was out, including multi-year information technology infrastructure upgrades.
“Decades-old wiring” in a majority of facilities led to sub-standard networking services and wi-fi was available only in certain areas of schools, hindering the ability to offer “an adequate standard of modern digital services for learning, teaching and productivity,” said Zeyad Merchant, district director of information technology, speaking with the News Bulletin.
To remedy this, new high-speed network cable was installed, wi-fi access points were put into all classrooms and common areas, and server room equipment was upgraded and replaced, he said.
The IT project began in spring 2020, with work at Mountain View, Forest Park and Chase River elementary schools currently underway. Subsequent to that, 12 other schools, including Ladysmith Primary and Frank J. Ney, are anticipated to be upgraded by the fall of 2025.
Advancement of a joint-use agreement with the City of Nanaimo for an all-weather field in Harewood, work with an insurance adjustor on fire damage to Wellington Secondary School’s band room, addition of three new electric buses and planning for three new electric trades vans were other projects listed in the report.
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