Bednet, the organization that organizes free online distance learning for sick students, is blowing out twenty candles today/Friday. Bednet has already connected more than 7,000 absent students in schools in Flanders and Brussels with their classes. This year is a record year: 1,734 students are taking lessons remotely with Bednet. The number of students who apply for Bednet due to psychological problems has increased noticeably.
Bednet was founded in 2004. Kathy Lindekens from Kom Op Tegen Kanker often came into contact with young cancer patients who could not go to school. “They were at home, but had no access to education,” says Lindekens. In 2007, the first 31 students took lessons via Bednet, with the first prototype. “They were still very heavy laptops at the time, many separate parts and many cables. There was a desktop in the classroom,” says Els Janssens, Bednet’s first director.
In 2014, the non-profit organization was recognized by the government and anchored in the education decree XXIV as synchronous internet education (SIO). From September 2015, long-term and chronically ill children are entitled to Bednet. Preschoolers from the age of five and teenage mothers can also use Bednet.
Bednet’s ICT material has been developed for the situation in which a student (or several students) follows lessons online, while the other students are physically in the classroom. “Bednet evolved from completely self-developed and managed hardware and software to an application that integrates off-the-shelf components into a high-quality, unique system,” the non-profit organization said.
“Corona has really caused a change,” said Bednet director Mathieu Tallon. “Suddenly, both schools and families became familiar with remote lessons and new players entered the market with matching technology. We started to fully utilize what was available in that context with Bednet.” The current form of Bednet is mobile, simple and quick to set up.
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