Free laptop, internet allowance mulled for students
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday, March 4, said he is mulling the filing a bill that would provide free laptop and internet allowance for every Filipino student in the country.
Noting how the COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools to go on distance learning, Gatchalian said laptops and other gadgets have now become a necessity for students.
But the senator lamented a great digital divide is still prevalent in the Philippines. Citing a study conducted by the Center for Educational Measurement, he said around 60 percent of students who participated in the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) did not have access to computers and the internet.
The group also noted that the proportion of students without computers and internet connection at home is much higher in lower proficiency groups.
“Access to the internet and laptops now is as basic as having access to water or electricity,” said Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture.
“In the same way no household can survive without electricity or water, no learner can survive without access to the internet and gadgets,” he said.
“The bill we are formulating is embracing the principle of shared responsibility,” he stressed.
Gatchalian pointed out the country has an opportunity to bridge the digital divide. He said the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2 has made it easier for communication networks to build cell sites as it provides for a three-year suspension of certain requirements for cell tower construction, except for building permit.
Since most barangays have a public school, he said cell sites should be constructed near these schools to ensure nationwide internet coverage.
“All of us would have to put in a share to bring the internet to the home of every learner,” he said.
“While this will be costly, the future returns will also be big because if our learners improve their outcomes, the whole country will benefit from it,” Gatchalian reiterated.