DepEd exec says around P33B needed to provide laptops to all teachers

Around P33 billion is needed to provide laptops to all teachers amid the distance learning scheme being implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an Education official said Tuesday.

"If we will be providing all teachers with the needed laptops considering the existence of laptops that we have now, we still need P33 billion. This amount to provide everybody with laptops, and then we need another P4 billion for data connectivity for next year for 12 months of connectivity," DepEd Undersecretary Alain Pascua said during the budget deliberation at the House committee on appropriations.

This as ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro inquired about the computerization program of the DepEd, asking if this will provide teachers and students with the needed gadgets for the distance learning.

The DepEd official said that the Bayanihan 2 also helped in providing laptops to teaching personnel.

"So, for example under Bayanihan 2, we will be delivering almost 40,000 laptops, under the CB 2019, which has been delivered last June, we have delivered about 211,000 laptops," Pascua said.

"Under DCP [DepEd Computerization Program] 2020, this is already for delivery. We have about 36,676 laptops, and under DCP 2021 which is being procured right now, there are about 65,683 laptops. So this is total of about 353,286 new laptops," he added.

Pascua said addressing the issue on data connectivity amid the distance learning is the mandate of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, however, the DepEd is looking at solutions on how to provide better data connections to teachers and students.

"We have allotted P700 million to procure data connectivity or satellite connectivity for last mile schools and is being procured right now, and for Bayanihan 2, we provided for the data connectivity for teachers and for personnel of DepEd," he said.

The education agency is proposed to have P630.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2022, wherein P629.8 billion is allotted for the Office of the Secretary.

According to DepEd Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla, the proposed 2022 budget is 6% higher compared to the 2021 budget.

School year 2021-2022

The academic year 2021-2022 officially started on Monday, September 13.

Based on the latest data provided by Education Secretary Leonor Briones, a total of 25,582,224 students have enrolled so far for this school year, which represents 97.5% of the previous enrollment.

In school year 2020-2021, the DepEd recorded a total of 26,227,022 enrollees.

"We expect to match last year’s performance in enrollment. Since we are expecting... it’s a traditional practice to extend enrollment... and we are extending enrollment up to the end of the month of September," Briones said in the deliberation, adding that the decrease in enrollment could be noted in private schools.

Castro asked the agency to provide information about the mapping that was done in preparation for the opening of classes amid the pandemic as she wanted to ensure that the Philippines is not lagging behind other countries.

"Ang tinatanong ko eh kung nagkaroon na tayo ng mapping sa lahat ng eskwelahan kasi ganun ang ginagawa ng ibang bansa kasi kung di natin gagayahin 'yung iba't ibang bansa, magiging kulelat tayo," Castro said.

(What I'm asking is if the DepEd had conducted mapping in all schools just like what other countries did, so that we will not lag behind other countries.)

Briones committed to provide additional information to the Congress about the mapping and other preparations of the agency for the school year 2021-2022.—AOL, GMA News