Leading telecoms and digital services provider PLDT continues to champion digital literacy among public school teachers and students with its PLDT Infoteach Outreach Program. Now on its 14th year, the company’s flagship CSR program has produced over 25,000 graduates from far-flung communities across the country.
“The PLDT Infoteach Outreach Program is a digital enabler aimed at addressing today’s educational needs within the changing times. This evolved into being the biggest and most accomplished free digital literacy training and education program that the country has ever seen,” said PLDT Community Relations Division Head Evelyn Del Rosario.
In partnership with the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), the Department of Education (DepEd), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Intel Philippines and the Local Government Units (LGUs), this year’s successful Infoteach Outreach Program culminated in a grand showdown of computer knowledge supremacy in an event called the PLDT Home Fibr Broadband Quiz.
The Quiz, divided into two categories (Teachers and Students), awarded P45,000 in cash to the winning Grand Champion in the Students category, and P40,000 for the Grand Champion in the Teachers Category. Four sets of computer units were also awarded to the school of the Grand Champions as part of the prizes.
It has three levels: the Division Level in which the participating schools competed to determine the Division Champion; Regional Level in which the Division Champions competed to determine the Top 4, who participated in the National Level.
Hailing from Juan Pamplona National High School in Tabuelan, Cebu, Rose Pauline Cotejo emerged as the Grand Champion of the 9th PLDT Home Fibr Broadband Quiz. Cotejo, who has been an educator for eight months, expressed was honored to take her teaching capabilities to be at par with the global digitization. “Through PLDT’s strong commitment in providing digital literacy to teachers, I can definitely say that, as life-long learners, we would be able to compete in this fast-paced world,” she said.
Power duo Geline Lontoc and Ven Benedick Nera bested three other pairs in the Student category and was hailed as the Grand Champions. Lontoc, 18, emphasized how many technological breakthroughs can pave way for change. “Change is inevitable, as they say. And the world is continuously changing. The major change that we can see and notice is the development of technology, and the PLDT Infoteach Outreach Program aids us so we can adapt to these changes,” Lontoc said.
As PLDT embraces a culture of transformation, many of its corporate social action programs are pursuing an increasingly digital tack. In line with this, it continues to provide educational opportunities that are geared towards shaping a digital mindset. Through this, it cultivates the lifestyle of every Filipino – creating bigger opportunities to learn and truly understand digital literacy.
Anchored on becoming digital citizens, the PLDT Infoteach Outreach Program trains both teachers and students to become globally competitive. The Program turns into a learning platform that is centered on career-defining opportunities that truly paves the digital path.