D5 / Professional
Networks and Systems Administration
4 months · 400 contact hours
To produce the technicians the country needs to connect and maintain the schools, health posts and offices that remain offline. Three modules are specific to the Rwandan operating environment and are not found in standard international curricula: physical cabling, rural connectivity, and power systems for ICT.
What you’ll learn.
8 modules · 400 contact hours
01Networking fundamentals80 hrs
- The protocol stack.
- Addressing and subnetting.
- Switching concepts.
- Network design principles.
02Routing and switching70 hrs
- Router configuration.
- Routing protocols.
- VLANs and trunking.
- Network security basics.
- Troubleshooting methodology.
03Linux system administration70 hrs
- Installation and configuration.
- Users, permissions and services.
- Shell scripting.
- Backup and recovery.
04Server and directory services40 hrs
- Server installation.
- Directory services and identity.
- File and print services.
- Virtualisation basics.
05Physical infrastructure40 hrs
- Structured cabling standards.
- Termination and testing.
- Rack and equipment installation.
- Documentation and labelling discipline.
06Rural and wireless connectivity40 hrs
- Wireless standards and planning.
- Point-to-point links.
- Satellite and alternative backhaul.
- Designing a connection for a rural school.
07Power systems for ICT30 hrs
- Power quality and protection.
- UPS sizing and installation.
- Solar and battery systems for ICT loads.
- Maintaining equipment where supply is unreliable.
08Monitoring and capstone30 hrs
- Network monitoring.
- Fault diagnosis.
- Capstone: design and document a complete school network.
On completion, you can.
- Design, install and document a small to medium network.
- Terminate and certify structured cabling to standard.
- Specify and install power protection appropriate to an unreliable supply.
- Connect a rural institution and maintain it thereafter.
How progress is assessed.
Practical installation assessments (45%), configuration assessments (25%), capstone school network design and defence (30%).
Certification and recognition
The planned certification includes a statement of attainment and a programme completion certificate; Professional programmes also carry an assessed portfolio. The curriculum maps to RTQF levels. Accreditation and external recognition are being sought; this is not a claim of approval.
What comes next.
Discuss your next learning or work goal with the team. Progression depends on demonstrated skills and the entry requirements of the next programme.
Talk about your next step ↗Confirm your preferred teaching language with the team. Weekly timetables and venue details will be confirmed with each intake.
Source: Curriculum Framework v1.0, pages 20. Read the full framework