School-in-a-bag: Alternative learners in Cebu benefiting from Smart digital package

Smart employees donates another School-in-a-Bag package, this time benefiting alternative learners of Cebu City.

Alternative learners in Cebu benefit from Smart digital package
Students under the Alternative Learning System (ALS) of Cebu City can now augment their studies with the use of digital tools and learning materials donated by employees of Smart Communications.

The Smart School-in-a-Bag bundle that was turned over to the ALS in Cebu City last August is one of over a hundred being distributed nationwide this year. The ALS program in Cebu City caters to 4,524 learners who had been held back from regular schools either because of health, family problems, or distance, explained Cebu City Division Superintendent Bianito A. Dagatan.

The School-in-a-Bag is a backpack containing a laptop, tablets, TV, pocket Wi-Fi, and digital and printed educational content aligned with the official curriculum. The donation also includes teacher training and yearlong monitoring. For schools without electricity, a solar panel with batteries are also included in the kit.

“The initial design was to bring this technology to the remotest areas in the Philippines, but we realized it could also benefit the ALS program,” said Smart Public Affairs Junior Manager Michelle Bayhonan.

The Smart School-in-a-Bag is not only a tool for learning but also for teaching, said Education Undersecretary Tonisito Umali.

It allows teachers to have limitless access to resources that can facilitate and inspire learning, added Umali, who was the guest of honor during the turnover.

“When teachers talk for example about the solar system, they can show colorful videos when they identify the planets. This makes learning very exciting, inspiring, and effective and contributes to our dream of making quality education accessible for all,” Umali said.

Dagatan said the Smart School-in-a-Bag will not only inspire out-of-school youth to enroll in ALS; it will also encourage them to stay in the program.