MPT Mobility, part of the MVP Group of Companies, has collaborated with PLDT and Smart Communications to participate in the group’s School-in-a-Bag project to benefit Baguio and Cebu beneficiaries.
The company said School-in-a-Bag is a portable digital classroom that allows remote learning in last-mile schools and complements the Department of Education’s (DepEd) curriculum.
Each package contains a laptop and 10 tablets pre-loaded with DepEd curriculum-based learning materials, a mobile Wi-Fi, and expandable storage devices. It is also inclusive of teacher training and year-long monitoring support.
“The contents of School-in-a-Bag are carefully curated to ensure that quality education and smart technology go hand-in-hand for the purpose of enriching our learners with knowledge and skills that would benefit them in the future,” Rodrigo Franco, MPT Mobility director, said.
“Through the School-in-a-Bag project, we hope to not only level the playing field for our learners, but also pave the way for our country’s greatest hope and future.”
Cathy Yang, FVP and group head of corporate communications at PLDT and Smart, also said: “The School-in-a-Bag highlights our use of technology to ensure that no learner is left behind. PLDT and Smart are always ready to collaborate with our ‘kapatids’ to improve learning outcomes for students, as we all lend a hand in building a ‘matatag na bayan’ for all Filipinos.”
For this year’s edition, MPT Mobility chose Sto. Tomas Elementary School in Baguio City and Albert Schweitzer Familienwerk Foundation Philippines Inc. (ASFFPI) in Cordova, Cebu as its beneficiaries.
Sto. Tomas Elementary School is located on the fringes of Baguio City, on the slopes of Mt. Sto. Tomas in Benguet and serves 291 students. School officials hope for learning technology tools and resources for their learning needs.
“We [in the City of Baguio] are grateful to MPT Mobility, PLDT, and Smart for choosing Sto. Tomas Elementary School as the recipient of the School-in-a-Bag project,” Baguio City mayor Benjie Magalong said. “This is a worthwhile initiative to enrich the quality of education in the city.”
Meanwhile, ASFFPI is a 26-year-old non-government organization that provides short- and long-term care, support, education, and other aspects of development to abandoned, neglected, abused, and exploited children and youth at their “Children’s Haven.”
As of writing, ASFFPI houses 49 kids and 36 youths who are underexposed to learning materials and are challenged in meeting the expected competencies of their grade levels.
“MPT Mobility’s goal of providing access to better education through the School-in-a-Bag will surely have a significant impact on the cognitive development of our children,” Ligaya Maquiling, executive director of ASFFPI said.
“With their assistance, we will achieve our goal of raising the academic performance of our children and youth by providing them with all the tools and materials needed to motivate them to engage in appropriate skills and development training.”
MPT Mobility turned over Sto. Tomas Elementary School’s and ASFFPI’s School-in-a-Bag projects during separate ceremonies held on June 22 and June 29, 2023, respectively. Representatives from the beneficiary and their local government unit were also in attendance for their respective ceremonies.
