THE DEPARTMENT of Information and Communications Technology has completed the distribution of gadgets to students and teachers in San Juan City.

Tablets, laptops and pocket WiFis were given to principals and representatives of parents and teachers’ groups to cover all 13 public schools in the city.

The DICT committed to provide all San Juan students gadgets for their online classes to help fulfill Mayor Francis Zamora’s Smart City Initiative.

A total of 12,500 tablets, 1,000 laptops and 1,000 pocket WiFis were turned over to the San Juan City government by the DICT this month. The completion of the turnover was delayed because of the lockdowns imposed in Metro Manila and in the country where the gadgets were manufactured.

“We hope that these gadgets make it easier for them to adjust to the new normal mode of education,” Zamora said.

“Expect more announcements in the coming days, this time regarding internet for their online education,” he added.

The DICT piloted its Free WiFi For All Program in the city in 2019. This enabled San Juaneños to connect to 338 public WiFi access points installed in public spaces.

DICT chose Pinaglabanan Elementary School as its pilot school for distance learning, providing laptops for Grade 3-6 students. It also chose San Juan as its pilot city for the Vaccine Information Management System Immunization Registry which was launched on April 13, 2021.

“I would like to thank Sec. Gringo Honasan and the entire DICT team for their commitment to helping me fulfill my goal of making San Juan a Smart City. They have been tirelessly working and helping us even during this pandemic,” Zamora said.