IT Infrastructure for Schools in Zanzibar: Labs, Wi-Fi, Power and Safety

In Depth

In Depth

A school's ICT works when the room, the power, the network and the people are planned before the computers arrive. This guide shows heads, bursars, boards and donors in Zanzibar how to plan a lab, Wi-Fi, safe internet, power backup and maintenance in sensible phases.

Many schools receive computers before they have the room, power, network or people to keep them running. A year later half the machines are unused: a power supply has blown, the Wi-Fi password was lost, or nobody knows how to restore Windows. The equipment was never the hard part.

What makes school IT harder here

Power cuts and surges. A lab that switches off mid-lesson loses work and teaching time, and surges when power returns damage power supplies, chargers and switches. Many schools outside town have a weak or unreliable grid connection.

Heat, dust and humidity. Hot classrooms with open windows fill computers with dust, and humid coastal air corrodes connectors. Machines run hotter and fail sooner.

Spread-out buildings with thick walls. Classroom blocks are often separate buildings with coral-stone or concrete walls. Wi-Fi from the office will not reach a classroom across the yard; see Wi-Fi dead zones.

Limited, shared internet. Some schools can get fibre; many rely on 4G or fixed wireless. Every pupil shares it at once, so it runs out quickly.

Skills and spares. Technicians are scarce outside town and parts often come from Dar es Salaam. Without one trained person on site, simple repairs wait for weeks.

Theft and child safety. Computers and projectors attract thieves, especially in the holidays. And whenever the school provides internet, it has a duty of care for what pupils can reach.

The recommended design

Keep the lab, the office and Wi-Fi on separate networks

One router or firewall and a managed switch can run several VLANs (virtual networks) on the same cables:

Keeping school records and finance away from the lab matters: pupils are curious, and one infected USB stick in the lab should not reach the exam results.

The computer lab

• A secure room with burglar bars, a solid door and, ideally, CCTV on the entrance.
• Ventilation or air-conditioning and dust control: closed windows during lessons if possible, and dust covers when not in use.
• A cable to each desk, not Wi-Fi, for desktop computers. Cable is cheaper per seat over the life of the lab and is not affected by walls or interference.
• A switch in a lockable cabinet, on a UPS. See what a network switch is for managed and unmanaged types.
• Power designed by an electrician, with enough circuits for the machines, proper earthing and surge protection.
• Standard computers: one model throughout, so one spare part or one disk image fits all.

Arranging desks around the walls lets the teacher see every screen from the middle of the room.

Wi-Fi for teaching and staff

• Access points in each classroom block, wired to a PoE switch, with outdoor-rated units where needed.
• Fibre between blocks rather than long copper runs. Copper Ethernet is limited to 100 metres per run, and fibre also stops surges travelling between buildings. See fibre optic vs Ethernet and network planning for large properties.
• Per-device bandwidth limits, so one large download does not stop a whole class.

For the Wi-Fi design itself, see business Wi-Fi network design; the same rules apply to a school.

Safe internet and content filtering

• DNS-based filtering blocks known adult and harmful sites for every device using the school network, phones included. It is simple to run.
• Firewall rules limit the pupil networks to what lessons need.
• Separate accounts on lab computers for pupils and teachers, with pupils unable to install software.
• Supervision. No filter is perfect; teachers should be able to see screens.

Note Filtering on the school network does not protect a pupil's own phone on mobile data. Your ICT policy should cover phones too.

Power and solar

Where the grid is unreliable, solar with batteries can run a lab, but size it to the real load, not a budget figure. Ask for a written load calculation based on the number and type of computers, hours of use and days of backup.

• Laptops or low-power desktops use much less energy than older desktops and make solar more affordable.
• A UPS or inverter with automatic switching keeps machines on through short cuts.
• Surge protection on the grid supply and on any outdoor cable.
• Battery care: correct ventilation, temperature and charge settings, and regular checks.

Warning Solar, batteries and mains wiring can cause electric shock, burns and fire. Only a qualified electrician or solar installer should install or modify them.

Primary and secondary schools

A primary school can start small: a set of laptops in a charging cabinet that moves between classrooms, a projector and Wi-Fi in the staff room. Robust, simple equipment matters more than speed.

A secondary school typically needs more: larger or several labs, a server or cloud system for records and exam results, staff laptops, classroom projectors and perhaps a science or technical lab with specialist software. The Skills Lab Center at Lumumba is a training facility where Extrion delivered LAN, fibre, CCTV, PA, fire and safety, and IT infrastructure: the same building blocks a large secondary school or college needs.

Build it in phases

Phase 1: foundation. A secure, ventilated room with safe electrics, earthing and surge protection; a UPS for the network and the teacher's computer; an internet connection with DNS filtering; an asset register and a named person responsible for ICT.

Phase 2: the lab. Structured cabling to every desk and a switch in a cabinet; standard computers set up from one image with pupil and teacher accounts; separate lab and administration networks; CCTV on the lab entrance.

Phase 3: whole school. Wi-Fi in classroom blocks with fibre or wireless links between buildings; solar and battery backup; classroom displays; a school management system with off-site backup of records. See backup and disaster recovery.

Plan the cost over several years, not just the purchase, with the IT budget planner.

School IT checklist

• Name one staff member responsible for ICT, and train them in basic maintenance.
• Check the lab room for security, ventilation and safe power before ordering computers.
• Ask an electrician to check earthing and circuits for the number of machines planned.
• Put the router and switches on a UPS.
• Keep the lab, administration and Wi-Fi on separate networks.
• Turn on DNS-based filtering, and test it with a few known blocked categories.
• Create separate pupil and teacher accounts on lab computers.
• Keep an asset register with serial numbers, location and purchase date.
• Make a standard disk image so a broken computer can be restored quickly.
• Back up school records (pupils, exams, finance) to a second location.
• Clean computers and check UPS and solar batteries every term.
• Secure the lab during holidays and check CCTV is recording.
• Keep a small stock of spares: keyboards, mice, cables, a power supply.
• Write a short ICT and acceptable-use policy that covers phones too.

Common mistakes we see

• Donated computers with no plan. Mixed models, missing chargers and no licences make old donations hard to keep running.
• Wi-Fi for desktop labs. Thirty computers sharing one access point through a wall is slow and unreliable.
• The lab and the office on one network. Pupils can reach records, and a virus in the lab can spread to finance.
• No earthing or surge protection. Power supplies fail one by one after storms.
• Batteries ignored. A dead UPS or solar battery gives no backup at all.
• One shared admin password. Pupils find it and change settings.
• Nobody responsible. Without a named person and a routine, problems pile up until the lab closes.

Relevant Extrion services

• Digital technology management services and managed IT support for ongoing maintenance.
• Network architecture and infrastructure for cabling, Wi-Fi and links between buildings.
• Security auditing and implementation for CCTV and access control.
• Technology capability development and training for staff ICT skills.
• Fire alarm and public address systems for assemblies and evacuation.

More about our work in the sector is on the education page.

When to call Extrion

If you are planning a new lab, a donation or a whole-school network, Extrion carries out Wi-Fi site surveys, can plan the power and network, and can help maintain it. See our IT management services or contact us.

This guide is general information. Procedures, product features and firmware change, so check your own equipment's documentation before you start.