Pasig City will provide 138,000 learning devices such as tablets and laptops to public school students in the city in support of the distance learning approach of the Department of Education (DepEd) for the next school year.

This was announced by Mayor Vico Sotto during his hour-long State of City Address on Thursday (July 2), as part of the activities for this year’s celebration of the 447th founding anniversary of Pasig.

For the school year 2020-2021, Sotto said the Pasig City Division of City Schools will adopt a distance learning modality as the threat of the coronavirus disease remains.

“We will help the Department of Education, our students, and their families by providing 138,000 learning pockets, tablets or laptops depending sa pangangailangan (on what they need),” the mayor said in his speech.

“138,000 -- ibig po sabihin (this means), one is to one. One computer or one tablet is to one student,” he added.

Sotto said senior high school students at Pasig City Science High School will receive laptops while others will be receiving tablet computers.

As for students of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig, he said the local government will buy 3,500 tablets for the enrollees of the school.

On his 31st birthday last month, the mayor announced that the local government has secured P1.2 billion for the purchase of learning devices for public school students and teachers.

The local government made the move after the DepEd shifted to a blended or distance learning approach for the upcoming school year.

“Kailangan po nating makasiguro na hindi tumigil ang pag-aaral ng atin mga kabataan (We need to make sure that the education of our children will not stop),” he said.

Sotto has also urged parents and their children to enroll for the next school year, despite the foreseeable challenges.

“Alam kong magiging mahirap ang susunod na school year, pero mag enroll lang po kayo at tutulungan namin kayo (I know the next school year will be difficult, but just enroll and we will help you),” the mayor said. #