Poe tells DICT, DepEd, telcos to boost links for free public school wifi

Sen. Grace Poe speaks during one of the Senate deliberations in this file photo taken on October 10, 2023. Senate PRIB file photo / Bibo Nueva España

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Grace Poe urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Education (DepEd), and telecommunications companies (telcos) to boost their linkages to provide free wifi services to public schools in need.

In a statement on Sunday, Poe said that the close coordination between the agencies and telcos will ensure that students, even in remote schools in the country, will have access to the internet.

“At a time when the education of our children relies on connectivity, access to the free internet is a crucial need that telcos can help provide,” said Poe during the recent national budget deliberation.

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“What telcos could be a drop in the bucket can go a long mile for the efficient learning of our students,” she added.

According to the statement, only about 69 percent of the close to 45,000 public schools have wifi access at different speeds.

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“It’s unimaginable for a big population of students not to have access to wifi especially now when we are saying that online education has become part of the new normal,” Poe said.

“Some may be able to spend a few pesos for wifi for their school works such as research, but how about the others who do not have the means?” Poe asked.

Poe and other senators asked DepEd to submit a report on the wifi connectivity status of public schools to determine the areas that need internet access.