PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF), PLDT and Smart, FiberHome Technologies, and the Department of Education (DepEd) recently turned over three School-in-a-Bag (SIAB) packages to Batangas City schools to help make sure that there will be #NoLearnerLeftBehind.
Each package includes a laptop, a Smart Bro LTE Pocket WiFi, and tablets pre-loaded with #LearnSmart applications and content, for the learning needs of students of Conde Labac Elementary School, Conde Labac Integrated School, and Dumuclay Elementary School.
DepEd Sarangani representatives also shared their innovation called Learning Resource on Wi-Fi Hub for Expanded e-Learning, or LR on WHEeLS, a learning delivery modality developed in Sarangani, and which is now endorsed by the DepEd for nationwide implementation.
“We are pleased that we are able to help bring together the strengths of SIAB and LR on Wheels, and we believe that our strong partnership with DepEd will allow us to achieve our common goals,” according to PSF President Esther O. Santos.
The teachers from the Batangas schools were trained on LR on WHEeLS, which uses technology to reach 200 to 500 learners within a 500-meter radius through a digital channel with pre-loaded learning resources that students can access even without the internet.
“One of our key strategies is nurturing strong partnerships with both the private and public sectors, because we know that only by working together are we able to reach collective impact,” said Stephanie Orlino, head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart.
“Being in a strong partnership with other companies like PLDT and Smart is a way to share each other’s strengths. We hope to contribute to a better future and better life for Filipinos,” added Vincent Wu, FiberHome Technologies Operations Management Division (OMD) PR Manager.
DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan, together with the principals and some faculty members of the three schools, also inaugurated the Teodoro and Florencia Malaluan Love for Learning Library and Resource Center during the same occasion.
Malaluan emphasized the importance of cultivating the love for learning not just among students but also among educators. “We believe that gadgets mean nothing if the motivation to learn is lacking. The center expresses our collective love for learning and commitment to provide quality education through digital technology,” he said.
SIAB is a key part of PLDT and Smart’s broader commitment to help the country achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: Inclusive Quality Education.
