Solar power opens digital world to mountain students

Vibant Foundation Inc. (VFI) continues to bridge the gap between urban and rural education with the solar energization of a mountain school in Bukidnon.

With its rooftop solar panel system, not only lights are coming on for the first time at the off-grid Gamot Integrated School (GIS) in Sitio Gamot of Barangay Sta. Filomena, Quezon town but also connectivity and digital learning for its indigenous students courtesy of the social responsibility arm of publicly listed conglomerate Vivant Corporation.

VFI donated solar panels costing P2.2 million.

Barangay chairman Ferdinand Silvestre recalls the GIS students taking a whole day to reach the town proper to use the internet before the installation of the solar panels from VFI. He described their struggle to pursue education as demotivating.

With the electricity provided by the solar panels, the digital world and the opportunities it offers are now within reach of the hundreds of students of GIS.

Milestone

The project itself is a landmark moment for VFI. GIS is the first mountain school, and the second Indigenous People (IP) community, to benefit from the foundation’s solar energization program, according to its executive director Shem Jose Garcia.

It is part of the broader initiative of VFI known as Project Liadlaw, which aims to close the gap between urban and rural schools by providing off-grid areas access to modern technologies. With solar energy, the school connects students to digital learning platforms.

“There was a big need to bridge the digital divide between schools in the cities and those in off-grid areas. More often than not, schools in remote areas would often be left behind,” Garcia said.

Beyond the electrification of off-grid schools, the foundation also worked to make their projects sustainable by partnering with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Department of Education to develop a new solar power curriculum.

Garcia said students learn how to run and maintain the solar panel system

The installation of solar panels at GIS was made possible through Vivant Energy’s retail electricity unit Corenergy, along with partners Bukidnon Power Corporation and North Bukidnon Power Corporation.

The panels, generating 12.1 kilowatt peak (kWp) of electricity, are now powering the entire school for a full day.

Alongside this, the Department of Information and Communications Technology provided free internet access via Starlink, opening up new possibilities for e-learning.

GIS Principal Charito Agsalud lauded the profound impact that Vivant’s solar energization had in their school.

“We are honored to be chosen as the beneficiary despite the remoteness of our location. We can say that our learners are now globally connected to the modern world through your electrification project,” she beamed.