The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) are accelerating efforts to achieve full internet connectivity in all public schools nationwide by the end of 2025, aiming to bridge the digital divide and enhance the quality of education through improved access to online learning resources and digital tools.

DepEd, in coordination with DICT, announced on Wednesday, July 9, that it is intensifying efforts to connect all public schools to the internet by the end of 2025—an ambitious target made more attainable with the formal launch of Phases 2 and 3 of the National Fiber Backbone (NFB) on July 7 in Leyte, led by President Marcos.

The expansion of the NFB adds 31 new connection points across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao—boosting bandwidth and digital access for provinces, government offices, and public schools, particularly in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs).

Citing the President, DepEd noted that the initiative is set to benefit over 600 government sites and nearly 17 million Filipinos.

For DepEd, the NFB marks a turning point.

With nearly 47,000 schools nationwide—many still lacking reliable internet—the Department is racing against time to close the connectivity gap.

Through the Digital Bayanihan Project, jointly implemented with DICT, the NFB will fast-track efforts to bring high-speed internet to last-mile schools and ensure no learner is left behind.

At Bay-ang National High School in Ajuy, Iloilo, the transformation is already unfolding. Once considered a digital “dead spot,” the school now benefits from free public Wi-Fi through the project. For the first time, teachers can submit reports without leaving campus, conduct ICT classes, and tap into online learning resources—bringing digital education within reach for their students.

School head Harence Cacho shared how school personnel previously struggled to submit reports, especially since almost all had to be submitted online.

“Kapag may online webinars noon, pumupunta pa kami sa lugar kung saan may internet connection. Pero lahat ng ’yan nabago nung dumating ang free WiFi for all ng DepEd at DICT (Back then, whenever there were online webinars, we had to go to places where there was an internet connection),” he added, recalling how teachers once traveled to neighboring barangays just to access mobile data.

The Digital Bayanihan Project is part of a nationwide initiative by DepEd and DICT to expand digital infrastructure across the country.

In the near term, the Bayanihan SIM Program is bridging mobile connectivity gaps—providing free SIM cards with data to over 113,000 learners, 3,800 teachers, and 357 public schools. The initial rollout began on June 27 in Bulacan, Zambales, and Quezon.

Looking ahead, the PSIP Connect Project will begin delivering devices, solar-powered systems, and satellite internet to underserved schools starting in the fourth quarter of 2026.

“Hindi natin mapapalago ang kalidad ng edukasyon kung hindi konektado ang ating mga paaralan sa mundo (We cannot improve the quality of education if our schools are not connected to the world),” said DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara.

“Sa direktiba ni President Marcos at sa tulong ng DICT at ng buong pamahalaan, isinusulong natin ang digital inclusion na tunay na may malasakit (Under the directive of President Marcos and with the help of the DICT and the entire government, we are advancing digital inclusion that is truly rooted in compassion),” he added.

With the NFB and its key initiatives in motion, DepEd said the Marcos administration is building the foundation for a tech-enabled, inclusive education system—one where every student and teacher, no matter their location, is connected to opportunity.

From Luzon to the remotest islands of Visayas and Mindanao, education is driving the Philippines’ digital transformation, DepEd added.