When the Department of Education (DepEd) adopted the distance learning set-up for School Year (SY) 2020-2021, many students and teachers were also forced to adapt to the new system which mostly relied on technology.

To help pupils and teachers as they continue to navigate distance learning, Globe has partnered with Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI), ABS-CBN, and Mary’s Way Foundation - through the Big Blue Hearts Campaign - to enable learning with the help of free internet connection.

In particular, the initiative aims to help ease the struggle of over 100 Grade 1 pupils, their parents and teachers in the absence of face-to-face classes.

Under the project, KCFI, ABS-CBN and Mary's Way Foundation were able to successfully raise funds to equip 102 students and teachers of Balibago Elementary School and Sta. Rosa Elementary School Central 1 and 3 with Globe At Home Prepaid Wi-Fi modems.

For Esperanza Batitis, a teacher at Sta. Rosa Elementary School Central 1, the “Basa Bilang” and “Wikaharian Videos” are very helpful in teaching Filipino because they can enhance the traditional ways of teaching and keep more learners engaged.

“The videos help teachers save time in preparing visual materials in Filipino,” Batitis said. “It's one of the better learning techniques nowadays because of movements and special effects, learning becomes more enjoyable than reading a text,” she added.

To support the beneficiaries, Globe provided data load subsidies good for six months. This allows the beneficiaries to continue their Grade 1 classes and access Knowledge Channel videos and “Basa Bilang” learning resources at home.

“Globe as a technology company is doing its share in helping young children by providing connectivity for early education,” said Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications Yoly Crisanto. “With access to various channels, we hope that we are able to bridge distance learning for these young students,” she added.

Meanwhile, KCFI President and Executive Director Rina Lopez-Bautista noted that the initiative is very helpful to many children who are “struggling to adapt to remote learning.”

The Big Blue Hearts Campaign aims to help them improve their beginning reading skills. Lopez-Bautista said KCFI wished to continue with the program long term. “However, the pandemic set back our capacity to reach out to our students due to lack of connectivity,” she added.

KCFI launched its “Basa Bilang” project in 2018 to improve the reading and math skills of early graders through the production and dissemination of animated and live action video lessons based on the DepEd curriculum.

“KCFI helps create a solid educational foundation for early reading, numeracy and oracy – critical factors in a child’s educational development,” Lopez-Bautista added.