THE LAND Bank of the Philippines expanded its Interim Students’ Loan for Tuitions towards Upliftment of Education for the Development of the Youth program to lend students up to P50,000 to buy gadgets for their online learning.

LandBank President and Chief Executive Officer Cecilia Borromeo said the program was implemented to assist students who are facing financial difficulties.

“LandBank recognizes the need to support students in adapting to distance learning modalities,” she said.

“While we await the resumption of in-person classes, we hope that the I-STUDY Program can help students cover the financial requirements to purchase needed learning equipment and participate in online classes,” she added.

Under the expanded program, a parent-borrower can apply for a maximum loan of P150,000 per student to cover payment for tuition or enrollment-related fees.

Students of legal age are allowed to apply for a loan. Last year, only parents and guardians were allowed to file loan applications.

Senator Grace Poe urged students in need of gadgets to avail themselves of the loan.

“For many families, the leap to digital has become prohibitively expensive. We must enable them to obtain devices as an investment for their children’s education,” Poe said on Thursday.

The senator however said that a fast and reliable internet connection is a must for online education.

“A laptop, tablet or smartphone will only be useful tools to the students during online classes if they can connect to the internet,” she said.

“Telcos should also step up so that connectivity will not continue to be a stumbling block to our children’s education,” she added.