LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), turned over a free Wi-Fi project at Alao-ao Elementary School (ALES) in Brgy. Payac, Bangui, Ilocos Norte, on Jan. 17.
This initiative provides free internet access to teachers and students at ALES, enabling them to use the internet for schoolwork and other educational purposes.
Leimar Padre, Teacher III and officer-in-charge of the school head’s office at ALES, shared that during the COVID-19 pandemic, both teachers and students had to hike up hills just to find a reliable internet signal.
He expressed his gratitude for the new project, which now allows the school community to access the internet from the comfort of their own classrooms.
“It is very vital for us here in the school to have internet connectivity in order for us to address the needs of our 21st-century learners, for they are dubbed to be the ‘digital natives.’ We are already behind when it comes to technology because we did not have internet connection, so we are isolated when it comes to access to information, but with this project, we are able to bridge the gap from that isolation to global information,” he explained.
ALES currently has 51 pupils and four teaching staff.
High-Speed Connectivity
According to DICT, the Starlink satellite installed on the roof of the elementary building has an internet speed of up to 200 Mbps for downloading and 50 Mbps for uploading content to the internet.
The DICT will be in charge of the regular maintenance and monitoring to make sure that the community network system is functioning properly to ensure that the school community is maximizing its benefits.
USAID’s BEACON Project: Expanding Digital Inclusion
Meanwhile, John Garrity, USAID’s chief of the Better Access and Connectivity (BEACON), explained that the project aims to improve internet connectivity in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) to improve education, communication, and emergency response in these areas.
“The whole idea [of the project] is to work together to improve the situation of the Philippines. Our hope is that with the internet now here in the school, you all will be able to learn more, find more information online, communicate, find more opportunities for income, find jobs, and connect with other people not just in the Philippines but also people overseas,” Garrity said.
The village of Payac is the 20th barangay to receive the community network project in the country.
Aside from funding the project, the USAID BEACON Project Team was responsible for the installation of the internet satellites in the school and household, provided technical assistance and capacity building to the teachers on how to utilize the internet, and they will oversee the payment of the residential satellites to ensure that ALES has reliable internet access.
GIDA towns interested in becoming beneficiaries of the free Wi-Fi program can contact USAID by emailing [email protected] or calling (02) 301 6000 to submit their requests and learn more about the program.
USAID’s BEACON Project is a five-year (2021-2026) contract designed to comprehensively support economic growth in the country by improving access and internet connectivity through providing technical assistance and supporting capacity building, public-private partnerships, as well as policy reform and advocacy with a budget of USD 33.3 million.
Sustainable Model: Community-Driven Internet Access
In order to sustain the project, residential internet satellites were also installed in 11 houses in the barangay where the households will pay a monthly fee to avail themselves of internet services.
The sales from these residential satellites will go to the payment for the internet services of the ALES for the free internet for the teachers and students.
DICT Assistant Secretary for Infostructure Management, Philip Varilla, encouraged the learners and the Payac community to use the internet wisely for their development and to improve their quality of life.
“Internet is very important to all of us – it provides opportunities for growth. For the education sector, of course teachers can use the internet to deliver educational materials. We have the term, ‘meaningful connectivity,’ meaning it is up to us to use the internet for our betterment. If you are a student, the internet is for education. For parents, you can also use it for selling products and services to help local businesses,” he said. (AMB/EJFG, PIA Ilocos Norte)
