Beyond Access: What Does ‘Meaningful Internet’ Mean in Education?
Internet Society Peru Chapter - May 27, 2026
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Speakers: Sandro Marcone - Founder and General Manager, CulturaDigital; Verónica Ugarte Galdos - Founder, LEOMIL Platform / Andino Cusco International School; Fernando Bolaños - Education Officer, UNICEF Peru
Moderator: Julio Edgardo Porcel Vera - Vice President, Internet Society Peru Chapter
Introduction and problem statement
Julio Edgardo Porcel Vera opened the webinar by highlighting that, although Internet access in Peruvian schools has grown over the last few decades, fundamental doubts persist about whether that connectivity is really generating deep learning, critical thinking, or significant digital skills. He pointed out that in many cases, access ends up being limited to passive consumption of content and basic use of platforms, without transforming the educational experience or developing skills to create, innovate, or solve problems.
He introduced Sandro Marcone, a pioneer in the development of the Internet in Peru and a specialist in educational technology, to address the concept of “meaningful Internet” applied to the educational field.
Sandro Marcone: From nominal connectivity to educational connectivity
Sandro Marcone began the presentation by recounting a personal experience from that same day in Moyobamba, where he had difficulty maintaining a stable Internet connection to participate in a webinar. Marcone used this example to illustrate a common reality in the Peruvian education system: a school may officially be listed as having Internet access, but not necessarily have connectivity capable of supporting meaningful educational processes.
He explained that international organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have evolved from the traditional concept of “universal access” to that of “meaningful connectivity.” However, he pointed out that even this new definition still focuses primarily on the technical quality of the connection and not on the educational value generated from it.
Setbacks in Peruvian school connectivity
Marcone presented data that shows a worrying situation:
In public primary schools, Internet access fell from 51.8% in 2021 to 37.4% in 2024.
In public secondary schools, it decreased from 75.7% to 71.3% in the same period.
In primary education there is a huge gap between urban (85.5%) and rural (27.2%) schools.
In secondary school the difference reaches approximately 90% versus 61%.
He pointed out that these figures represent a temporary setback, as the same schools have lower levels of connectivity than in previous years, while general Internet access in the country continues to grow.
What does it really mean for a school to be connected?
Marcone questioned the official indicators of educational connectivity. He pointed out that when a school is registered as connected, its actual connectivity is rarely known.
The actual quality of the service.
The available bandwidth.
The number of students who must share the connection.
The technology used (fiber, satellite or others).
The ability to sustain simultaneous activities.
He showed examples of officially connected schools operating with outdated equipment, empty labs, or extremely slow speeds, including cases as low as 390 kbps. He argued that connecting a school is not simply about installing an Internet line, but about building a comprehensive educational infrastructure capable of supporting learning processes.
The investment problem: CAPEX versus OPEX
Another key theme was the State’s tendency to prioritize investment in equipment (CAPEX) over the operating expenses (OPEX) needed to keep the systems running.
Marcone argued that:
Equipment deteriorates if there is no maintenance.
Connectivity requires ongoing payments.
Technical support and infrastructure upgrades are essential.
The initial investment quickly loses value when there is no ongoing financing.
He criticized the prevailing view that considers operating expenses as something negative, noting that organizations like the IDB have been promoting technology-as-a-service models precisely to solve that problem.
Three misunderstandings that are hindering progress
Marcone identified three misconceptions that, in his opinion, are delaying the digital transformation of education:
Connectivity is equivalent to the Internet.
Connectivity also requires internal networks, devices, support, and service continuity.
To equip is equivalent to transforming.
The mere presence of computers does not guarantee educational changes.
Using platforms is equivalent to learning.
A platform without pedagogical strategies simply digitizes administrative processes or distributes content.
Towards a definition of educational connectivity
Marcone proposed moving beyond the notion of technological connectivity and advancing towards the concept of “educational connectivity”.
According to their proposal, this should include:
Explicit pedagogical purpose.
Appropriate digital architecture.
Functional internal networks.
Educational resources and platforms.
Digital skills for teachers, managers, students and families.
Connection with the community and the territory.
He argued that the school must cease to be a technological island and become a hub of community cohesion and local development.
From passive consumption to the creation of educational value
Marcone stated that the key question is no longer whether students use the Internet, but what they are able to do better thanks to it.
He criticized practices such as:
Search and copy information.
Using platforms out of obligation.
Replace classes with videos.
He argued that the real challenge lies in fostering deep learning, critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills through the use of technology. He also pointed out that the rise of artificial intelligence has highlighted existing weaknesses in digital skills.
Verónica Ugarte: Connectivity as a practical experience
Verónica Ugarte complemented the presentation with her experience as an educational director and developer of learning platforms.
She explained that when her educational institution moved to the Anta district, they had to directly finance the expansion of the infrastructure to obtain connectivity. Even after achieving this, the available capacity forced them to establish usage schedules due to network limitations.
She also shared experiences derived from the LEOMIL platform for reading comprehension:
Rural schools that received tablets, but lost connectivity when support from a mining company ended.
Students who, despite being considered “digital natives”, had difficulty using physical keyboards.
Teachers with overloaded or unused email accounts, which hindered basic processes of accessing platforms.
These examples, according to Ugarte, show that connectivity depends on multiple complementary capabilities and not just on the existence of a connection.
Fernando Bolaños: The teacher as a central actor
Fernando Bolaños highlighted Peru’s enormous territorial and social diversity, noting that there are still communities where access to electricity remains limited and is a prerequisite for any connectivity strategy.
Drawing on UNICEF’s experiences, especially in the “Connected to Learn” project, Bolaños emphasized that the main actor in any meaningful Internet strategy is the teacher and, more broadly, the educational community.
He rescued the conceptual sequence presented by Marcone:
Access.
Use.
Appropriation.
Creation of educational value.
According to Bolaños, the challenge lies in enabling students and teachers to connect learning with their context, generate new solutions, and build knowledge that is useful for their communities.
Teacher training and professional development
One of the most debated topics was the need to transform teacher training models.
Fernando Bolaños criticized the traditional logic based on the accumulation of information and materials, noting that many training programs continue to focus on distributing content without promoting effective changes in educational practice.
He proposed:
Closer pedagogical support.
Pedagogical leadership of directors and coordinators.
Collaborative networks between teachers.
Use of the Internet and artificial intelligence as tools for continuous professional support.
Artificial intelligence and new opportunities
Verónica Ugarte highlighted the emerging role of artificial intelligence tools in university teacher training.
She specifically mentioned NotebookLM as an example of a useful resource for organizing and simplifying educational documentation. She emphasized that the challenge is not to avoid AI, but to learn how to use it for pedagogical purposes.
She also advocated a collaborative approach in which teachers and students learn together, recognizing that young people often possess technological skills that can enrich educational processes.
Governance and leadership of educational connectivity
During the question session, Marcone insisted that the main problem is not technological but institutional.
He argued that there is currently no clear authority responsible for educational connectivity in Peru and that the Ministry of Education has progressively weakened the spaces in charge of this function.
He proposed:
Regaining control of educational connectivity.
Create a specialized body with coordination capacity.
Scaling up existing successful experiences in schools, communities, and public-private partnerships.
Design differentiated policies according to the needs of each territory.
Communities of practice and simple technologies
Fernando Bolaños highlighted that, even in contexts of low connectivity, it is possible to build professional learning spaces using simple tools like WhatsApp.
However, he warned that these spaces only work when there is:
A clear purpose.
Active moderation.
Meaningful conversations.
Processes of synthesis and collective learning.
He pointed out that basic technologies can generate significant impacts when they are aligned with specific educational objectives.
Reading comprehension and the educational value of technology
Ugarte used LEOMIL’s experience to illustrate how technology can generate real educational value.
She explained that the platform allows:
Differentiated readings according to level of comprehension.
Selection of content according to personal interests.
Recommendations among students.
Family participation.
According to Ugarte, the value of technology appears when it allows us to solve pedagogical problems that would be very difficult to address using traditional methods.
Recommendations for the next government
At the close of the webinar, the panelists answered what the next Peruvian government should prioritize.
Verónica Ugarte
Prioritize reading comprehension.
Consider it the basis of all future learning, with or without technology.
Fernando Bolaños
Focus on fundamental learning.
Strengthen reading, mathematics, science and social-emotional skills.
Promote a national mobilization aimed at improving learning.
Sandro Marcone
Clearly prioritize specific educational objectives.
Restore effective leadership for educational connectivity.
Create a stable governance body capable of sustaining long-term policies, drawing inspiration from experiences such as Uruguay’s Ceibal Plan.
Conclusion
The webinar concluded with a broad consensus among participants: the educational challenge is no longer simply about connecting schools to the Internet. The true goal is to build educational connectivity capable of generating meaningful learning, developing digital skills, fostering technological adoption, and creating value for students, teachers, and communities.
The panelists agreed that access is just the starting point. The central challenge is transforming that connectivity into real opportunities for learning, equity, and development for all students in the country.
RESOURCES
Internet Society — Peru Chapter (ISOC Perú) — host of the webinar
CulturaDigital.pe — Sandro Marcone’s educational technology initiative
LEOMIL — Verónica Ugarte Galdos’s reading-comprehension platform
Andino Cusco International School — IB school in Anta, Cusco
UNICEF Perú — Conectad@s para Aprender — digital-skills and connectivity project (Loreto, Ucayali, Huancavelica, Lima Norte)
ESCALE — Ministry of Education statistics system cited for school-connectivity figures
ITU — Meaningful Connectivity — the framework Marcone critiqued
Plan Ceibal (Uruguay) — the sustained-governance model held up as a benchmark
Google NotebookLM — AI study tool referenced for teacher training
Sandro Marcone’s columns in Perú21 — ongoing writing on digital education policy