Over a hundred young Mangyan students and their teachers—who cross multiple rivers to reach Quinomay Elementary School—can now look forward to better learning tools, training, connectivity, and more equitable access to quality education.
PLDT and Smart are helping transform the lives of these learners and their teachers through their flagship education program, School-in-a-Bag (SIAB). In support of the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) efforts to bring tech-enabled, quality education to last-mile schools—the PLDT Group turned over a SIAB package to the agency, which will be deployed to an Indigenous Peoples (IP) community in Oriental Mindoro.
“The School-in-a-Bag brings the classroom to last-mile communities, enabling teachers to use smart devices and interactive, DepEd-approved materials to enhance learning outcomes,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart. “Through this collaboration with the DICT, we hope to empower more learners with access to inclusive, technology-enabled education.”
“The donation of the School in a Bag by PLDT and Smart, alongside the provision of connectivity by DICT MIMAROPA, embodies the very heart of this year’s National ICT Month theme – ‘Walang maiiwan sa Digital Bayanihan’,” said Dir. Emmy Lou V. Delfin, Regional Director, DICT MIMAROPA. “Through our collective efforts, we are reaching even the most remote Indigenous People’s communities—like Quinomay Elementary School—and ensuring that no learner is left behind. This is bayanihan in the digital age: where public and private sectors come together to empower every Filipino child with access to quality digital education, no matter where they are.”
Each SIAB package includes a laptop, 10 tablets pre-loaded with DepEd curriculum-based learning materials, a guide for teachers, Smart Bro LTE Pocket Wi-Fi, and expandable storage devices. And to help ensure that there will be #NoLearnerLeftBehind, PLDT and Smart also onboard teachers of beneficiary schools to the Central Visayan Institute Foundation Dynamic Learning Program (CVIF-DLP), a student-activity focused teaching pedagogy that helps develop independent learners.
“The gadgets alone are already a big help. But during the orientation, we were surprised to learn that it also comes loaded with educational materials—so many apps that can help the children learn and capture their attention. I was really, truly amazed,” said Anne Marie Mae M. Fabilitante, Teacher-in-Charge at Quinomay Elementary School. “If I were the learner, I’d be more eager to study because the applications are so engaging.”
The SIAB package complements the wireless connectivity recently installed by the DICT in the area. Quinomay Elementary School is tucked in a remote part of Mansalay town in southern Oriental Mindoro. Located inside an indigenous peoples community, the school serves more than 100 Mangyan students. For the teachers, getting there from the town center means more than 30 river crossings along rugged mountain trails. On a good day, they make the trip on a motorcycle. But when it rains, they either go on foot or don’t go at all. And for a few students who live further into the mountains, it’s an hour-long walk, often on empty stomachs.
“Our students are eager to learn, no matter how tough things get. They show up every day—even when they’ve had nothing more than a banana for breakfast. On harder days, it’s just a cup of coffee, no sugar, that gets them through,” added Fabilitante.
The School-in-a-Bag highlights PLDT and Smart’s commitment to inclusive quality education through Information and Communications Technology, content, pedagogy, and capacity building. The program is also aligned with the PLDT Group’s much broader efforts to help the country achieve UNSDG #4: Quality Education.