‘School-in-a-bag’ initiative launched

COTABATO CITY is one of the beneficiaries of the “School-in-a-Bag” initiative which was launched recently by the United States government, the Philippine Business for Social Progress and Smart Communications.

 

USAID Philippines Senior Education Adviser Mirshariff Tillah (second from left) joins TESDA Sarangani Provincial Director El Cid Castillo (second from right) and SK Federation President of General Santos City John Salvador Demdam (right) in awarding certificates to the TESDA Online Program completers. YouthWorks PH graduates hired by Alsons, together with Alsons Vice President for Operations and PBEd Board Member Miguel Dominguez, show off various Sarangani Bay products that the trainees helped produce.

As part of the United States’ ongoing commitment to strengthen early grade reading, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) partnered with Smart Communications and PBSP and turned over to the Department of Education (DepEd) some 100 school-in-a-bag kits worth over P10.4 million ($208,000). 

USAID Philippines Acting Deputy Mission Director Brandon Miller, Smart Communications Senior Vice President Alex Caeg, and PBSP Executive Director Elvin Uy handed over the school-in-a-bag kits to DepEd Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction Diosdado San Antonio and Undersecretary for External Partnerships Tonisito Umali.  

Each kit contains a laptop computer, 10 tablets with one terabyte of memory each, and pocket Wi-Fi preloaded with p500 worth of internet access.   

“Through the Smart School-in-a-Bag initiative, we will be able to advance digital literacy amid and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in remote areas that lack access to technology. We will continue to forge partnerships with the private sector, local government units, and local communities so that every child has access to a quality education,” Miller said. 

DepEd said it will distribute these kits to select schools here and also in Bicol, Western Visayas, Maguindanao, Cotabato Special Geographic Area, and to schools associated with USAID’s remote learning study. 

It said the tablet computers will be loaded with e-resources such as DepEd TV episodes, interactive literacy primers in mother tongue languages, USAID-supported e-books, and other digital resources that can bridge the digital divide and improve early grade reading, especially for students in the most remote areas of the country.   

“We thank our partners, USAID, Smart Communications, and PBSP for this undertaking. Truly, bayanihan is very much alive in DepEd even as we face very difficult challenges to make sure that learning will continue.  We recognize the value of harnessing the generosity of our partners and stakeholders in improving learning outcomes of our learners, especially in Last Mile Schools,” San Antonio said.   

Washington has been a key development champion in the Philippines for over 60 years, working with individuals, communities, and the government to improve everyday lives. (Mindanao Examiner)