TO ENSURE the safety of the learning community in this time of pandemic, the Department of Education has decided to move the classes for the upcoming school year online and allowed the adoption of distance learning.

For teachers, this means they have to make use of the internet as their main platform to conduct classes, upload learning materials, and monitor their students’ progress online.

Acknowledging this pressing demand of the educators for a fast, reliable and affordable internet connection. Globe, through its WiFi2Teach program, heeds the DepEd’s call to support its Distance Learning program by making a donation of some 1,000 Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi modems to equip selected public school teachers with connectivity and help in ensuring that education remains unhampered in the country despite the current global health crisis.

WiFi2Teach is also part of the telco’s ongoing efforts and contribution under the Brigada ng Ayala – Ayala Group of Companies’ group wide participation in the DepEd’s Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE) and Brigada Eskwela (BE) programs.

“The migration to digital learning poses a lot of challenges for us at DepEd and most especially to public schools and teachers who commonly have limited access to the Internet  and online learning tools,” shared Abraham Abanil, Director at the DepEd.

“With Globe’s WiFi2Teach program, we can gradually address these challenges and help more public educational institutions and teachers to become adapted to the new normal of remote, online learning for the upcoming academic year.”

Individuals may also extend help to teachers, even at home, by buying a Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi modem from Globe’s official store on Lazada LazMall. For every purchase, PhP 100 will be donated to fund the need for internet connection of public school teachers. Interested customers may purchase a modem and support the program until September 15, 2020.

“The new normal has compelled all of us to transform our households to centers of productivity and learning,” said Barbie Dapul, Vice President and Head of Marketing for Globe At Home. “WiFi2Teach is designed to assist public school teachers in carrying out their work and duty of teaching students remotely. Like our partners from DepED, we advocate for quality, accessible, and relevant education to help uplift the lives of more Filipinos as we continue accelerating the country’s digital transformation.”

Aside from its efforts to provide the needed connectivity and access for teachers at home, Globe also launched its eLibrary platform with DepEd to give K-to-12 students, educators, and parents around the country  free and quick access to hundreds of  ebooks and educational videos. The eLibrary includes international titles under public domain, as well as local titles provided by DepEd.  This will allow for continuous learning during the enhanced community quarantine which prompted many schools in Luzon and other parts of the country to suspend classes.

Further, the telco giant has been working with DepEd to support various skills development programs for teachers nationwide. One of these is Global Filipino Teachers, a component of the department’s learning continuity plan. Globe, together with DepEd’s regional offices, has rolled out a series of training sessions that focuses on 21st Century skills needed by teachers most especially in the new normal, including digital literacy and overall capacity-building to maximize the digital tools available to them.

The partnership between Globe and the DepEd also involves conducting training of teachers for Psychological First Aid as well as How to be Responsible Online Citizens under the Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP). DTP is an award-winning series of workshops designed to educate learners, parents and educators alike on digital citizenship, online safety, and the responsible use of the internet.

Learn more about this story and how you can help power digital learning for public schools nationwide via https://www.globe.com.ph/help/broadband.