On 14 March 2025, at the École Sainte-Thérèse d'Avila school in Chênée, the Deputy Minister-President and Walloon Minister for Digitalisation, Pierre-Yves Jeholet, officially launched the action to equip schools across Wallonia with Wi-Fi connectivity.
Jointly led by SPW EER and AdN, this action is part of the "digital school" 2022-2026 dynamic of the Digital Wallonia strategy.
- Digital Wallonia 4 Edu programme, general presentation of the equipment plan and 2019-2021 analysis of the impact of the AdN's Digital School projects: https://www.digitalwallonia.be/education/
- Operational aspects of the "digital school" action and resources for schools: https://emploi.wallonie.be/ecole-numerique.html
A priority issue for Wallonia
Digitalisation is one of the key priorities of the 2024-2029 Regional Policy Statement. This priority is reflected in the continuation and expansion of the Digital Wallonia digital strategy, particularly through the development of citizens' digital skills.
The aim is, among other things, to strengthen the digital skills of teaching staff and pupils from primary school onwards.
Focus on internal connectivity
Many schools still face difficulties related to the quality of their internet connection. According to the 2019-2021 analysis of the impact of the Digital School projects conducted by the Digital Agency, 53% of schools consider a high-performing internal network to be the second key success factor for a digital project.
This finding has been incorporated into the Digital School 2022-2026 action of the Digital Wallonia 4 Edu programme, part of Wallonia's digital strategy. It therefore comprises two components:
- The provision of high-performing digital educational equipment to schools.
- The provision of full internal connectivity and security for school premises.
The resources deployed match this ambition:
- €60 million for connectivity.
- €60 million for digital equipment.
"I am delighted with the launch of Wi-Fi connectivity in our schools, which will provide all pupils with a quality connection, essential for learning. Every year, more than 500 new schools will be equipped with Wi-Fi."
"The future is built on digitalisation, and Wallonia must become a model when it comes to connectivity access. This is one of the key priorities of the Walloon Government, through the Digital Wallonia strategy."
In addition to equipping 500 schools with Wi-Fi, the "digital school" action will also provide educational equipment to more than 1,200 schools per year.
In concrete terms, this means that:
- Each eligible institution benefits from tailored equipment and access to reliable connectivity, with a gradual rollout of Wi-Fi across all schools concerned.
- Wallonia covers all technical aspects.
- Schools are supported throughout the entire process, both for equipment and connectivity.
The INCOR register, developed with the Digital Agency, made it possible to precisely record the existing resources in each institution and ensure an efficient allocation of resources.
Innovative technologies to tackle the challenge of school connectivity
Such an action represents a major technical and organisational challenge, given the large number of installations required, the diversity of the providers involved and the heterogeneity of the buildings (surface area, layout of premises, etc.).
This challenge was addressed thanks to a 3D scanning system covering all premises to be equipped. This makes it possible to customise the network installation for each classroom concerned.
As part of a public tender, the teams from SPW EER and the Agence du Numérique also selected a consortium of technical service providers for the rollout of digital equipment in schools (Van Eester Landemeterskantoor, Orange Belgium, Equans, Multitel, Systemat).