Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay on Wednesday presented the city’s Learning Continuity Plan for school year 2020-2021, and led in demonstrating the use of the On The Go (OTG) flash drive, a device designed for offline learning of students.
“The OTG flash drive is part of the Learner’s Package provided by the city to all public school students in Makati from preschool to senior high school. It is one of the primary tools we came up with to ensure that no student will be left behind as we go through the new normal in education,” said Binay during the presentation at Washington Sycip Park in Legaspi Village.
Binay said the project was a product of the city government’s close collaboration with the Department of Education – City Schools Division of Makati (DepEd-Makati).
An OTG flash drive, which contains digitized self-directed modules and video broadcast editions, can be used in different gadgets such as mobile phones, laptops, desktops, ipads, tablets, and smart televisions.
The device is part of the learner’s package given for free by the local government to each public elementary and high school student in Makati City for school year 2020-2021.
The city’s Learning Continuity Plan addresses both the common and unique needs and concerns of students arising from the adoption of the blended learning approach consisting of online and modular distance learning modalities, she said.
“The plan deals with issues such as limited access to gadgets and internet connectivity. It contains ways and means to ensure continuous learning while keeping our students and teachers safe from COVID-19 infection,” Binay said.
“It also highlights the role of stakeholders, including teachers, parents, and barangay officials and workers, in the effective implementation of all the programs and initiatives detailed in the LCP. After all, the education of the youth is a shared responsibility which requires no less than the collective effort of all stakeholders,” she added.
The city chief executive noted that based on the profiling done by DepEd-Makati among over 78,000 public school enrolees and their parents to gauge their readiness for the school opening, 74.9 percent have cellphones which they can use for online learning.
She said 24 percent had access to a laptop, tablet or ipad, television or radio, while 1.1 percent had no access to any of the said equipment.
In her previous announcements, Binay said her administration would provide public school teachers and students with a five-hour free internet load daily, and would also distribute over 2,500 laptops to teachers this October.
Earlier this month, the city government started distributing the learner’s package to parents and guardians of nearly 85,000 enrolees from preschool to senior high school in the city’s public schools.
Each package contains printed modules, a parent’s journal, two washable face masks and one OTG flash drive. Other school supplies such as textbooks and uniforms under Project FREE (Free, Relevant, and Excellent Education) of the city government have also been distributed.
The city has also launched the Makati Mobile Learning Hub Project which seeks to address the needs of students who do not have access to a device or internet connection.
Around 27 jeepneys converted into learning hubs, dubbed “Dyipni Maki.” will be dispatched to the barangays from Monday to Saturday. Each unit will be equipped with laptops and internet connection, as well as books and other learning materials.
