The city government has upgraded the internet connectivity for the 30 public schools in the city to improve the distance learning experience of students amid the pandemic.
Mayor Linabelle Villarica said the fund for the ‘Meycauayan Connect’ was part of the reprogrammed PHP100 million in the city’s “Special Education Fund para sa New Normal in Education”.
With the improvement of internet connectivity infrastructure, the average internet speed in the city boosted from 9.67 megabits per second (mbps) to 208 mbps.
“Meycauayan Connect is a project, which aims to strengthen the internet connection of schools in Meycauayan through a modern technology like wireless bridge connection wherein schools with no Internet Service Provider (ISP) will be connected to schools with ISP,” Department of Education Schools Division of City of Meycauayan information technology officer Albert Matic said.
Matic said more access points were also established around the vicinity of public schools.
“The data gathered from the Learner Enrolment and Survey Form served as the basis of the Schools Division in identifying the need for a strong internet connection not only by teachers but also by learners in this time of pandemic, which prompted us to take immediate action to address the identified problem through a consultation with school heads and ExeCom on these priorities to provide solution to the different needs of our learners in varied learning modalities like modular and online learning,” DepEd Meycauayan SDO superintendent Carolina Violeta said.
City Information and Community Relations officer-in-charge Agnes Cayaban told the Philippine News Agency that the project also helps households to make internet connectivity accessible as students are provided with voucher codes to connect to the internet in any public schools.
For Emerson Ceria, Principal I at Pantoc Elementary School, the Meycauayan Connect project has provided public school teachers with free internet access.
“Our teachers used to take online classes at home, but now they prefer to do the online classes in school because of the strong Wi-Fi connection and the lagging of internet connection has significantly been reduced,” Ceria said in Filipino.
Learning module kits
The city’s reprogrammed budget to support distance learning amid the ‘new normal’ also helped in achieving 1:1 ratio for self-learning modules.
To accelerate the production of learning modules, the city government also allotted PHP38 million for the printing of learning resources for students.
Each of the 30 public schools in the city was provided with heavy-duty network printer and duplicating machine.
“We are not only paving the way, we are leading others not only in Bulacan but in Central Luzon for the new normal in education,” Villarica said in a statement.
“Your LGU is committed to ensure that we keep our lead and advantage in e-learning,” Villarica added. (PNA)
