Ciena grants technology and professional development support to three schools in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Brazil as part of the Ciena Solutions Challenge Model School program.
Since the inception of the Ciena Solutions Challenge, schools around the world have engaged in challenge-based learning to help solve sustainability issues in their local communities. And for the past three years, we have been working with select schools who have been engaged in challenge-based learning through our Model School Program. In addition to regular participation in the Challenge, these schools receive professional development and mentoring, as well as tools for digital fabrication, coding, robotics, and media production to support student creativity, innovation, and invention.
This year, we are happy to announce that a new cohort of model schools is being welcomed into the program. Eveline High School in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe; Mnarani Public Secondary School in Mwanza, Tanzania; and E.E. Dr Secundino Dominguez Filho in Sao Paulo, Brazil. These schools join the existing model school cohorts in Ottawa, ON, Canada and Atlanta, GA, USA.
As a global organization, we are thrilled to deepen our collaboration with the new cohort of model schools in Brazil, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. The educators at each of these schools have consistently demonstrated their commitment to cultivating student agency, creativity, and innovation. We are excited that the additional investment of technology and professional learning will further enable them to continue facilitating powerful learning experiences with students.
Each of these schools was invited to become a model school for their admirable success in implementing challenge-based learning in their schools with profound positive effect on students and their communities. Each school is a past Sustainability Award winner and has showcased impressive Ciena Solutions Challenge projects driven by dedicated educators and passionate learners.
Meet the new global model schools
Eveline High School, Zimbabwe
Eveline has won Ciena Solutions Challenge Sustainability Awards three years in a row, in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Their award-winning projects covered important topics including student nutrition, youth underemployment, and the accessibility of cultural heritage. They’ve also been recognized for their commitment to challenge-based learning by both local and international educational organizations.
For the upcoming year, the educators and learners at Eveline are interested in exploring urban pollution, youth civic engagement, and a range of healthcare concerns across mental health, nutrition, and reproductive health.
As part of the Model School Program, Eveline will now have the resources needed to engage more of their student population and expand the opportunities available to their students. Currently, the school only has one computer lab that can accommodate just 30 students at a time with limited internet access—with the addition of a custom technology package through the Model School program, Ciena and Digital Promise can provide connectivity and tools to better serve their more than 1100 students.
Mnarani Public Secondary School, Tanzania
Mnarani was also a Sustainability Award winner three years in a row with their always evolving IQ Interschool Challenge TV Program in 2022, 2023, and 2024, in which students film educational content in English to broadcast on television, helping those participating and those watching at home learn something new and work on their English language skills.
This year, they’re interested in exploring real-world applications of sustainable practices, technology, and innovation relating to global citizenship and global workforce skills. Like Eveline, they have limited technology access. In recent years, parents took it upon themselves to construct a building dedicated to technology education and innovation, donating a small number of computers themselves to provide access to students. These few community donations, however, are not sufficient to meet the needs of the more than 800 students attending Mnarani.
E.E. Dr Secundino Dominguez Filho, Brazil
In Brazil, E.E. Dr Secundino Dominguez Filho was awarded a Sustainability Award in 2023 for their project creating safe zones for school children to protect them from bullying. For 2025, they plan to build an audio-visual room in the school where community members will be able to access tools required for photography, filmmaking, and podcasting, with a special focus on creating content that aligns with the SDGs.
With the contribution of technology to enable the creation of an audio-visual lab, educators will have the tools needed to encourage creativity and learning new technical skills with their students, helping set them up better for their future careers. The equipment will also be made available outside of regular school hours, supporting students’ passion for creation and helping uplift the diverse voices of all students.
The community-wide impact of digital access for these schools
The impact of these schools joining the Model School program reaches far beyond the classroom. Community impact is inherent in the Ciena Solutions Challenge, as students aim to solve problems that they see affecting their communities. As model schools, the additional technology and training provided to these schools can be leveraged to improve digital access and literacy for individuals outside the school ecosystem as well.
We are inspired by the unwavering enthusiasm students and educators have shown in making the Ciena Solutions Challenge part of their learning journey. Expanding our Model School program to include these three new schools will serve as a catalyst, fueling the imagination of the future innovators, empowering them to make a meaningful difference in their communities.
Each of these three schools occupies a unique space in their communities, providing resources and opportunities that uplift all community members, in addition to educating the region’s children. We are thrilled to be welcoming these three very deserving and ambitious schools to the Ciena