COMMUNITY | PLDT, Smart expand digital education initiatives
Now in its fifth phase, the program includes training in artificial intelligence, automation, and intelligent systems and has trained more than 53,000 teachers and students.
PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications are expanding their technology-based education programs, increasing support for digital learning, teacher training, and classroom connectivity in underserved communities across the Philippines.
The companies said their #KonektedforLearning initiative has deployed 784 School-in-a-Bag (SIAB) portable digital classroom packages nationwide, reaching nearly 120,000 students. More than 300 of the packages were funded by UNICEF for schools in geographically isolated and economically disadvantaged communities.
Each SIAB package includes a teacher’s laptop, 10 tablets loaded with Department of Education curriculum-based learning materials and educational applications, a Smart Bro LTE Pocket Wi-Fi device, and expandable storage to support classroom instruction in areas with limited digital infrastructure.
PLDT and Smart also said they continue to support the Department of Education’s adoption of the Central Visayan Institute Foundation Dynamic Learning Program (CVIF-DLP), a teaching approach designed to keep classes running during disruptions caused by natural disasters, armed conflict, and other emergencies.
Developed by Ramon Magsaysay Award recipients Dr. Christopher Bernido and the late Dr. Marivic Carpio-Bernido, the program emphasizes self-directed learning through activity sheets and enables one teacher to supervise multiple classes simultaneously. Around 33,000 teachers have been trained under the initiative with support from PLDT and Smart.
The telecommunications firms are also expanding the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP), an industry-academe partnership launched in 2003 to help prepare engineering and information and communications technology graduates for the workforce. Now in its fifth phase, the program includes training in artificial intelligence, automation, and intelligent systems and has trained more than 53,000 teachers and students.
To help educators integrate emerging technologies into the classroom, the PLDT Group has also introduced AI-in-a-Box, a training program that teaches educators how to use artificial intelligence to develop lesson plans, create learning activities, analyze classroom data, and automate routine administrative tasks. Since its pilot launch last year, the program has trained more than 800 teachers.
“Technology has the power to expand opportunities for learning, but its true value lies in how it helps students, teachers, and communities overcome barriers,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, assistant vice president and head of stakeholder engagement at PLDT and Smart. “Through KonektedforLearning, we work with partners to ensure that more Filipino learners can access quality education, develop future-ready skills, and continue learning even in challenging circumstances.”
The companies said the programs form part of their efforts to promote digital literacy and support the country’s pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.
Full disclosure: All news articles published on the TechSabado website are written by human journalists, unless otherwise specified. Final text editing is partially assisted by artificial intelligence (AI).
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