THE UNITED Nations Development Program and the Department of Information and Communications Technology have set up 1,000 free WiFi connection points in 220 public higher education institutions around the country.

The 1,000th access point was activated at the Bulacan Polytechnic College-San Jose Del Monte campus, with DICT Acting Secretary Manny Caintic and UNDP Philippines resident representative Selva Ramachandran attending the occasion.

Representatives of the Nueva Vizcaya State University, one of the HEIs to benefit from the initiative, also took part in the activity virtually.

“Internet access made readily available by the DICT-UNDP partnership allows students and teachers to have a flexible platform for teaching and learning, especially now that blended online and in-person learning is the new norm,” Ramachandran said.

“Our commitment to provide inclusive access to free internet services in public spaces and government offices to aid learning and to augment the government’s services remains stronger than ever,” he added.

Ramachandran said they expect to install 300 more WiFi access points in HEIs.