Sen. Loren Legarda (File Photo)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Loren Legarda on Monday filed a bill seeking to provide a tablet for each student enrolled in public schools and state universities and colleges.
Legarda’s bill known as the “One Tablet, One Student Act of 2022″ was the first measure lodged in the Senate for the 19th Congress.
The senator noted that the COVID-19 pandemic changed the learning setup across the country, with most educational institutions opting distance or online learning.
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“This proposed measure, therefore, aims to provide assistance to students by giving them tablets, or similar learning devices, to help them cope with the current challenges in line with the national government’s thrust to provide quality education for all Filipino students,” Legarda said on the bill’s explanatory note.
“The One Tablet, One Student program is hereby established to provide each public elementary and secondary student as well as students enrolled in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) a tablet computer (“tablet”) each to enable them to effectively participate in online learning. Provided, that students who already have their own personal learning gadgets shall be given educational assistance in the form of an internet allowance to cover the cost of connectivity,” the measure stated.
The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) will be tasked to determine students who are qualified under the program, to “develop an efficient and expeditious distribution system,” and craft guidelines on the usage, maintenance, and accountability of the tablets.
Citing data from the DepEd and CHEd, Legarda pointed out that there are 27 million elementary and high school students and 1.6 million college students enrolled in the current academic year who are in need of tablets.
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