MORE than 6,000 teachers from at least 146 public schools have received connectivity assistance from Globe Telecom and Ayala Foundation.

As Ayala Foundation’s partner for e-learning, Globe provided the teachers with SIM cards pre-loaded with 5GB data valid for 30 days to jumpstart their online lessons.

Based on a recent DepEd survey, about 49 percent of almost 700,000 teachers nationwide do not have their own internet connection.

“DepEd’s partnership and collaboration with the public and private  sectors are very important to ensure that quality basic education will continue despite the challenges posed by Covid19.  We are truly grateful to all our partners, especially to Globe and Ayala Foundation for providing connectivity assistance to help us upskill and reskill our teachers in order to realize the much-needed reforms in basic education, even during the pandemic,” Education Undersecretary Tonisito Umali said.

Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications, said teachers need all the assistance during this critical period.

“A lot of adjustments have to be made. That is why Globe continuously looks for ways to empower our teachers and students not just through connectivity but also by building their capabilities using  information and communications technology so they can fully adapt to the new learning mode,” Crisanto said.

The SIM card distribution is part of the Brigada ng Ayala Program which aims to provide holistic intervention to the public school sector. In the past, Brigada focused on volunteer activities where members of the Ayala Group of Companies contributed through repainting activities and clean-up drives.

Ayala Foundation President Ruel Maranan vowed steadfast support for public education efforts.

“Through Brigada ng Ayala, we continue to serve our teachers and learners nationwide by providing much needed health and safety kits, as well as connectivity support to facilitate online learning and access relevant educational content online,” he said.

Globe’s support to public school teachers includes free professional development for educators under the Global Filipino Teachers program. This initiative combines webinars and downloadable self-paced materials on topics such as digital literacy, parental support on digital learning, responsible online behavior, effective 21st century approaches to early language literacy, and psychological first aid.