Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte announced the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Digital Education 2028 program, or DepEd Digi-Ed, which will integrate digital textbooks, online learning resources, and internet connectivity in public schools nationwide.

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte delivers her speech during the 49th Philippine Business Conference and Expo at the Manila Hotel on Oct. 25, 2023. (Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook)

The official made the announcement at the 49th Philippine Business Conference and Expo at the Manila Hotel on Wednesday, Oct. 25, where she also invited the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and its members “to participate in the review, and provide valuable insights on skills-matching in order to boost employability for our graduates.”

Duterte, who holds the Education chief post in a concurrent capacity, explained the importance of technology in today’s learning process, and how it can help public school students become more competitive in the future.

In noting how “critical” it is for DepEd to “adapt our teaching methodologies,” Duterte underscored the need to integrate “digital literacy, e-learning platforms, and interactive classroom environments” in the educational process.

“The backbone of technology lies in connectivity. We are aggressively taking steps to provide school-wide Wi-Fi across the country,” she shared.

“We have been negotiating with the likes of Starlink, PLDT, Converge, Globe and other service providers to make this a reality. Twenty five (25) schools have initially been chosen for Starlink’s proof of concept, while 2,000 other schools are currently being given satellites for internet connectivity,” Duterte added.

“Multiple libraries” could be digitized and accessible to students in public schools as DepEd looks to “procure digital textbooks, as well as supplementary learning resources that will be made available to learners and teachers, be it online or offline” because “digitization of learning resources is at the top of our agenda.”

The Vice President revealed that they are also currently holding regular discussions with publishers to start the procurement of digital resources next year.

On top of this, DepEd is also pushing for the MATATAG Portal, which would serve as a platform for learners where they could access their lessons, resources, modules, activity sheets, and assessments with a unique log-in key.

The agency is also in the process of procuring “Digi-Ed Learning Carts,” which Duterte described as “computer-labs-on-wheels,” each composed of 46 laptops, hard drives, a charging cart and a smart TV.

“We are on track to provide our schools with E-Learning carts in the coming months,” she said.

She added that “in embracing technology,” DepEd is envisioning “an environment of borderless classrooms and learning without disruptions.”