Benefitting thousands of students.
On Wednesday, February 25, the turnover of donated ICT equipment was held at the Malinta Elementary School in Valenzuela City.
The said initiative, carried out through the partnership between the Department of Education (DepEd) and the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) and its member companies.
Those firms are Shearwater Health Advisors Inc., Ascendion Digital Solutions Philippines Inc., and Ernst & Young Global Services (Philippines), Inc., which donated 378 ICT devices to DepEd, which are then part of the 2,119 ICT units provided through IBPAP to advance digital transformation in public schools so far.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara then emphasized that education reform requires the collective action of various sectors.
“Hindi ito simpleng donasyon o simpleng feeding activity,” he said during his personal visit to above-mentioned school. “Ito ay patunay na kapag nagsama-sama ang pamahalaan, lokal na pamahalaan, at pribadong sektor, mas mabilis nating naibibigay ang teknolohiya at nutrisyon na kailangan ng ating mga mag-aaral.”
SCHOOL-BASED FEEDING PROGRAM
Aside from visiting the computer laboratory, Angara also inspected and personally distributed hot meals to students as part of the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP).
At Malinta Elementary School, 737 students are beneficiaries of the SBFP which is implemented under a combined modality in collaboration with the Schools Division Office of Valenzuela and the City Government of Valenzuela, according to DepEd.
Of that count, 473 receive hot meals from the city’s centralized kitchen, while 264 are provided with Nutritious Food Products (NFPs).
Across the division, the feeding program covers 14,269 students, including those under the Universal Kindergarten Feeding Program and severely wasted and wasted students from Grade 2 to Grade 6.
Angara then proceeded to visit the newly built annex facility of the Valenzuela Special Education Center, where he interacted with students and teachers as a testament to DepEd’s continued support for inclusive education and the improvement of facilities with the strong support of the local government.
