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Friday, March 29, 2024

Telecom Tower Watch: Educational institutions’ digital readiness needs support

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Advocacy group, Telecom Tower Watch is pushing for more government and private sector support for connectivity and capacity building programs critical to the digital readiness of the Philippine education sector. 

“Upgrading of our digital infrastructure and services must be matched with capacity building in terms of skillsets and enabling policies that are compatible to the innovative and competitive environment of the growing digital economy,” said Orlando Oxales, Convenor of Telecom Tower Watch.

Oxales pointed out that, “The shock of the lockdowns revealed how the gaps in connectivity, equipment, ICT skills of teachers, the learners and even their parents were not ready for the quick shift to e-learning.”

Oxales stressed that “More collaborative interventions to strengthen our digital connectivity to boost Digital modes of education and the upskilling of all teachers in Basic and Higher education must be encouraged with incentive mechanisms such as tax breaks on all ICT related equipment.”

“Private sector partnerships such as Globe Telecom’s partnership with DepED Cebu to build new cell sites is an initiative that can be replicated by telcos to enhance accessibility to wireless broadband services for e-learning and will also prove critical during disasters and elections,” said Oxales.

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Oxales appealed that, “The government must allocate adequate funding to accelerate the implementation of the National Broadband Program, the Free Wi-Fi for All Program, and the Common Tower Initiative of the Department of Information and Communications Technology as these will drive development for both government and industries.

“Government funding must sustain the DICT and DepED’s Digital Learners and Teachers Project, and The ICT Academy Project under the Digital Workforce Initiative for the upskilling of Filipino workers in Information Technologies, and the DICT’s educational portal implemented with Microsoft for online ICT training of civil servants to allow career advancement and enhance key public services.”

In a recent statement, DICT Secretary Gregorio “Gringo” B. Honasan II said, “Moving forward, we shall exert our utmost efforts to ensure the delivery of quality education to our children—education that they will need to live fulfilling lives as adults and to participate in and contribute to the global digital economy,” Honasan said.

Telecom Tower Watch is an advocacy partnership of DICT and CitizenWatch Philippines to accelerate the expansion of telecommunication towers and fiber-optic networks to catch up with growing demand for broadband service. 

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