PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday committed that all public schools in the country will have 100 percent internet connection by the end of the year.
The President, during the “School Connectivity Drive” at the Flora A. Ylagan High School (FAYHS) in Diliman, Quezon City, highlighted the importance of having internet access in all schools, especially for those located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) or remote places.
The internet service was provided to remote schools in Batanes, Bulacan, Quezon Province, Marinduque, Camarines Sur, Cebu, Tawi-Tawi, Misamis Occidental, Surigao del Norte and Apayao.
Marcos, who was accompanied by Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda, said a lot could be accomplished if you have internet access, be it for research and for additional learning materials, or possible class activities, even for entertainment.
“We are working towards 100 percent connectivity by the end of the year,” the President told teachers, students and local officials during a teleconference.
The free wifi service in the school is implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and aims to bridge the digital divide in public schools — particularly those in underserved areas — by strengthening internet connectivity, enhancing digital infrastructure and expanding access to technology.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara, who flew to Agusan del Norte to check on the digital connectivity of schools in Mindanao, said that some young students from the Higaonon Tribe had refused to go home after their classes to access the free wifi services in their school.
Angara said the school had also only received a power connection during the opening of classes last June 16.
He said they had to pass through two rivers to reach the school attended by the members of the Higaonon Tribe.
Agusan Governor Angelica Amante said that before the wifi service, they had difficulty enticing the students to go to school, but now the learners are “excited” to be in school.
The Agusan local government said the free internet service would be rolled out to 295 schools in the province.
The President had teased both the pupils and teachers from the GIDAs that they now have a “new toy” to keep them busy and to help them learn.
Marcos, however, urged the students to continue learning.
“Marami talagang magagawa pagka may internet na (you can really do a lot if you have internet access),” he said.
He also promised to send more desks, seats and armchairs to the remote schools to be used by the pupils.
‘LAST MILE SCHOOLS’
Fifteen “Last Mile Schools” (LSM) were connected online through the Digital Bayanihan, a joint initiative of the Department of Education and the Department of Information and Communication Technology.
One of the schools, the Datu Saldong Domino Elementary School in Sitio Tagpange, Barangay Simbalan, Buenavista, Agusan Del Norte, was visited by Education Secretary Sonny Angara yesterday.
Angara brought with him a Starlink unit, tablets, Smart TVs, electric fans, and other school materials with the help of the National Electrification Administration and FDC Misamis Power Corporation.
Solar panels were installed at the school through the support of NEA.
“These improvements are proof of what can happen when government, private partners, and local communities come together for education. This is digital bayanihan in action. When we connect our schools, we connect our students to better futures,” Angara said.
“Kahit malayo at mahirap, tutulungan natin,” he added.
The other Last Mile Schools connected to the Internet are Radagan Elementary School, Ilocos Norte (Region I), Chanarian Elementary School, Batanes (Region II), Tibagan Elementary School, Bulacan (Region III), Caigdal National High School, Quezon (Region IV-A), Ulanguan Elementary School, Marinduque (Region IV-B), Lipata Integrated School, Camarines Sur (Region V);
Bay-ang National High School, Iloilo (Region VI), Salamanca National High School, Cebu (Region VII), Tigbawan Integrated School, Leyte (Region VIII), Pag-asa Elementary School, Tawi-Tawi (Region IX), Dalingap Elementary School, Misamis Occidental (Region X), Malungon Elementary School, North Cotabato (Region XII), Cabawa Elementary School, Surigao del Norte (Region XIII), and Tangalan National High School, Apayao (CAR).
Angara said 290 other LSM schools are set to be connected to the Internet.
Early this year, Angara vowed to go the extra mile to ensure that resources are provided for LSM schools in the country.
But he said the DepEd cannot do it alone, adding that he needs the help of the private sector to help deliver more than two million laptops to schools in rural areas, to energize 2,001 schools that do not have electricity yet, and to build LSM schools in far-flung areas of the country.
LSM schools are defined by DepEd as those without complete sets of school furniture, no computers, no Internet connection, very few textbooks and manuals, and lacking laboratory tools and are usually located in geographically isolated, disadvantaged, and conflict-affected areas.
These schools typically have a student population of less than 100 learners.
As of last year, the DepEd has identified over 7,000 schools that fit the definition of an LSM school across the country. – With Ashzel Hachero
