Angara: Partnerships speed up ICT rollout
‘With this approach, we can accelerate our programs, particularly the completion of our digital connectivity initiatives.’
‘With this approach, we can accelerate our programs, particularly the completion of our digital connectivity initiatives.’
Private-sector support could help the Department of Education (DepEd) speed up the rollout of computers and internet connectivity in public schools, acknowledging that the government cannot equip all schools at once, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.
Angara made the statement while discussing an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) initiative involving private groups Ahonanan and Prime Infra, which he said could complement the department’s annual spending on school technology.
“It’s a large undertaking, so of course, we cannot provide everything all at once. We have a budget every year, but we cannot cover everything at once,” Angara told reporters in an ambush interview.
“With this approach, we can accelerate our programs, particularly the completion of our digital connectivity initiatives,” he added.
DepEd has been implementing its Computerization Program to provide public schools with laptops, other ICT equipment and connectivity, but the scale of the public school system means the department has had to roll out the resources in phases.
Materials shortage
In the 2025 Program for International Student Assessment, 48 percent of Filipino students were in schools whose principals reported that shortages of educational materials, including IT equipment, hindered instruction to some extent.
