House approves bill for free high-speed Wi-Fi for students

The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a measure that would give students in public and private higher education institutions free access to digital textbooks and free high-speed Wi-Fi on their campuses.

House Bill No. 9532, or the proposed “Universal Access to Digital Academic Learning Resources Act,” aims to address inequalities in access to learning materials and reliable internet connectivity, according to House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy.

“Today, a student who cannot afford textbooks or reliable internet access is already starting at a disadvantage. Isipin natin ang isang estudyante na kailangang mamili kung bibili ng libro at magpapaload para makapag-research, o gagamitin ang pera para sa pamasahe at pagkain. Through this bill, our youth do not need to make this painful choice,” Dy said on Thursday.

(Let’s consider a student who has to choose between buying a book and loading up on mobile data for research, or using the money for fare and food.)

HB 9532 passed on third reading on Wednesday with 202 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and zero abstentions.

Under the bill, a National Academic Content Repository (NACR) would be established under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and higher education institutions.

It would provide students and faculty nationwide free online access to digital textbooks, lecture videos, syllabi, research papers, and open educational resources across different disciplines.

The measure also mandates free, campus-wide high-speed Wi-Fi for enrolled students and faculty in public and private HEIs, with priority given to rural and under-resourced campuses during its initial implementation.

"Hindi na puwedeng ang kalidad ng pag-aaral ng isang estudyante ay nakadepende sa kung kaya niyang bumili ng mamahaling libro o kung may sapat siyang pera para sa internet,” said Dy.

(The quality of a student's education can no longer depend on whether they can afford expensive books or have enough money for the internet.)

“When a student in a rural campus can access the same quality academic materials available to a student in a major university, we begin to close the gap. When our teachers can create and share Filipino learning materials nationwide, we strengthen the entire higher education system,” he added. —VAL, GMA News