The PLDT-Smart Foundation turns over a Smart School-in-a-Bag to the Manabukayan Elementary School through the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Quezon City Capitol.
PLDT group reinforces connectivity and learning tools for teachers and students in Tarlac, most of them from the Aeta community. The initiative is alongside the group’s mission to provide quality education for the Filipino youth, in collaboration with the PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF), PLDT’s wireless arm Smart Communications and Huawei Philippines.
The group turned over a redesigned version of the digitally-enabled Smart School-in-a-Bag (SIAB) to the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Quezon City Capitol, for the use of students and teachers at the Manabayukan Elementary School in Capas, Tarlac. The donation forms part of Huawei’s $50,000 grant to the PSF, which targets to help 13 schools across the country. The redesigned SIAB 2.0, which contains 20 tablets pre-loaded with interactive learning content, one laptop, and a Smart Pocket Wifi, is a showcase of PLDT and Smart’s efforts to improve the digital tools and solutions for the education system in the country.
“It has been our mission in PLDT and Smart to ensure that every Filipino youth has access to learning tools and connectivity, especially amid the pandemic. We continue to work towards building a society that supports the vision of no learner left behind. We are happy to support schools and communities in coping with the new normal of learning and teaching,” said PLDT-Smart Foundation President Esther Santos.
To date, Smart has deployed a total of 293 School-in-a-Bag portable digital classroom kits to Department of Education (DepEd) schools, in support of the agency’s Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan as the COVID-19 mobility restrictions drove demand for online learning.
The Manabayukan Elementary School is one of the adopted schools of JCI Quezon City Capitol. Most of the student beneficiaries come from the Aeta community.
“This is very helpful not only for our students but also for our teachers. Manabayukan is a remote area. Our teachers are having difficulty in reaching out to students. The School-in-a-Bag donation can help us easily access and provide quality education to our learners amid the pandemic,” said Manabayukan Elementary School Principal Carol Simbulan.
Present during the turnover were PSF President Ma. Esther O. Santos with her team, Huawei’s Karenina Buenafe, Smart Communication’s Mary Jane Francisco and Jona Samson, and receiving the donation are JCI’s James Chanco, Chester Vista, Remy Brian Albania, JT Antolin, Jayron Dangan and Atty. Robin Simon.
“It has always been JCI Quezon City Capitol’s mission to be able to deliver sustainable projects to the community. Last year, we have dedicated our efforts and resources in building a classroom for the indigenous people at Manabayukan Elementary School. PLDT-Smart Foundation’s School-in-Bag project presents us with an opportunity to help bridge the digital divide that the children in this far-flung area are facing in the middle of this challenging health crisis. Through this partnership, we will be able to inspire hope to the Aeta community and make them feel that there really are no learner left behind,” said JCI Quezon City Capitol President Neil Tan.
The continued deployment of SIAB has benefitted over 2,587 teachers and almost 80,000 students nationwide.
