Marcos vows nationwide internet access in public schools by end of 2025
Public schools across the Philippines should have internet connectivity by the end of 2025, along with the expansion of towers and cell sites in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. said Monday.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos said the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of Education (DepEd) are working to have all public schools connected to the internet.
'Napakahalaga ng internet sa ating pagtahak patungo sa Bagong Pilipinas. Kaya nitong padaliin at baguhin ang pamumuhay ng ating mga mamamayan. Hindi lang ito para sa may kaya, o para lamang sa mga bata. Ito ay para sa lahat,' he said.
'Halos labindalawang libong pampublikong paaralan pa ang walang internet. Kaya sinisiguro ng DICT at DepEd na bago matapos ang taong ito, magkakaroon na ng koneksyon sa internet ang lahat ng pampublikong paaralan,' he added.
(The internet is vital in our journey toward a Bagong Pilipinas. It can simplify and transform the lives of our people. It is not just for the wealthy, or only for the young. It is for everyone.
Almost 12,000 public schools still have no internet access. That's why the DICT and the DepEd are making sure that before the end of this year, all public schools will be connected to the internet.)
'Ngayong taon din, nagsimula na tayong mamigay ng mahigit isang milyong SIM cards na may libreng data para sa ating mga eskuwelahan, lalo na sa mga liblib na pook. At dahil pinaganda at pinabilis natin, dadami pa ang mga bagong torre at cell sites sa mga GIDAS. Ngunit kulang pa rin ang mga ito,' he said.
(This year, we also began distributing over one million SIM cards with free data for our schools, especially those in remote areas. And because we have improved and sped up the process, more new towers and cell sites will be built in GIDAS. But these are still not enough.)
Marcos in his speech also said the first three phases of the national Fiber Backbone project have already been completed, but agencies are working to improve coverage in GIDAs or areas that are physically and socio-economically separated from mainstream society.
The National Broadband Plan Phase 1 involved the activation of 26 nodes from Laoag City in Ilocos Norte to Roces in Quezon City using the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines' (NGCP) dark fiber. Subsequent phases extended the network reach to connect to more regions across the country.
With this, Marcos on Monday said there are now almost 19,000 free wifi sites across the country, up from just 4,000 in 2022. — RF, GMA Integrated News
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