With the challenges encountered in the implementation of distance learning set-up this school year, the Department of Education (DepEd) extended its gratitude to various partners that continue to support its programs as well as its teachers and students.
“DepEd’s partnership and collaboration with the public and private sectors are very important to ensure that quality basic education will continue despite the challenges posed by COVID-19,” said DepEd Undersecretary for Legislative Affairs, External Partnerships and Project Management Service Tonisito M.C. Umali, Esq.
Among the partners of DepEd is Globe Telecom and Ayala Foundation. Under its WiFi2TEACH program, Globe collaborated with the DepEd and started implementing its pledge to support public schools.
Through Globe At Home, a total of 2,000 modems were donated to selected teachers who need strong connection to fulfill their duty of teaching students remotely.
“Our public school teachers are working twice as hard to make sure that learning continues for their students despite this new set-up,” shared Abraham Abanil, a director at DepEd. “Strong connectivity is really important for them to perform their duties and we are thankful for Globe’s WiFi2Teach program for providing free modems that they can use to conduct online classes, create learning materials, and supervise their students,” he added.
From Sept. 1-30, for every Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi unit sold on Lazada, P100 was donated to help provide the modems for this program. The distribution of modems started in August right in time for the new school year. The recipients of the donation are public school teachers from various regions across the country.
Meanwhile, beneficiary schools consider the WiFi2Teach program pivotal to their operations as they shift to distance learning. Rainiel Victor Crisologo, a head teacher at the Bagong Silang Elementary School in Los Banos, said that what they received are “essential and very helpful to facilitate remote distance learning and lead both parents and pupils to explore more relevant information suited to their self-learning modules and supplemental materials.”
Meanwhile, Globe At Home will be expanding the WiFi2TEACH advocacy in partnership with Ayala Foundation to include select public school students nominated by the DepEd as beneficiaries.
The effort will also now be applicable to every Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi unit sold from the Globe Shop and Globe’s official store on Shopee and Lazada from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2020.
“We are happy to be part of a program that enables teachers and students to thrive in this extraordinary time,” said Globe At Home Vice President and Head of Marketing Barbie Dapul. “We are grateful for the support that our customers have given us to successfully carry out this project,” she added.
Umali also expressed gratitude to all DepEd’s partners – especially to Globe and Ayala Foundation – for “providing connectivity assistance to help us upskill and reskill our teachers in order to realize the much-needed reforms in basic education even during the pandemic.”