PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) are enhancing connectivity with the pilot run of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Mobile E-Learning Hub in Barangay Cabancalan, Mandaue City. This initiative aims to bring quality education to underserved communities.
“We are honored to be part of this project that perfectly aligns with our advocacy to bring inclusive quality education to hard-to-reach communities. With the combined efforts of the AFP and its partner organizations, we can surely impact more lives, especially in the marginalized sector,” said Marylou Gocotano, Stakeholder Management Visayas Relations head at PLDT and Smart.
First launched by the AFP in Central Visayas, the Mobile E-Learning Hub project focuses on empowering communities, particularly out-of-school youth and adults in remote areas, through education and digital upskilling programs. As official telco partners, PLDT and Smart provided fast and reliable connectivity, powered by PLDT Home, to meet the needs of teachers and learners and maximize the digital tools available in the hub.
In addition to teaching children and youth in Cabancalan, this initial deployment also aims to assist adult residents with entrepreneurial and skills development content provided by partner government agencies.
“Through this meaningful collaboration with government agencies and private institutions, we can further provide quality education and conduct digital training that could help the people we serve become more productive individuals and help them land better job opportunities,” said Maj. Joe Patrick Martinez PA, group commander of the 3rd Civil Relations Group, CRSAFP and Mobile E-Learning Hub project officer.
To further support the learning experience, PLDT and Smart donated a School-in-a-Bag (SIAB) package to the Mobile E-Learning Hub’s beneficiaries. SIAB is a portable digital classroom that includes a laptop, 10 tablets, a Smart Bro LTE Pocket WiFi with load allocation, and a teacher’s guide.
Each package also contains digital educational materials such as contextualized Learning Activity Sheets and 10 #LearnSmart apps that teach literacy and numeracy in the Mother Tongue. / PR