The Department of Education (DepEd) has equipped more than 235,000 newly procured laptops with remote management capabilities that allow the government to lock or disable devices that are stolen, illegally sold, or pawned.
DepEd secretary Sonny Angara said Tuesday, Nov. 10, that the security measure is part of the department’s safeguards for its nationwide laptop distribution program, which began this month and will continue until March 2027.
All devices are enrolled in DepEd’s Mobile Device Management (MDM) system, which enables administrators to remotely control access to the laptops and prevent unauthorized use.
The laptops remain government property and are assigned to teachers and administrative personnel through official accountability records. School property custodians are responsible for monitoring their inventory and proper use.
“Hindi po puwedeng ibenta ang mga ito dahil nananatili itong government property. Bawat paaralan ay may nakatalagang property custodian na nagbabantay sa imbentaryo at maayos na paggamit ng mga laptop,” Angara said during a Malacañang press briefing.
DepEd warned that personnel found selling, pawning, or illegally transferring government-issued laptops could face administrative and criminal charges.
The security controls cover laptops acquired under the DepEd Computerization Program, which includes 169,008 MacBook Neo units for teachers, 3,646 MacBook Neo units for administrative personnel, and 62,717 Windows-based laptops.
The combined procurement totals 235,371 devices.
Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, and Angara formally launched the distribution program Monday, Nov. 9, at Dagupan City National High School.
Aside from the remote security features, DepEd has established allocation rules under its Teacher Assignment for Laptop Allocation (TALA) guidelines to determine which teachers and schools will receive the devices.
The guidelines prioritize public school teachers who have never received a government-issued laptop, particularly those involved in integrating technology into classroom instruction.
First in line are teachers serving as ICT coordinators, educational technology champions, and Khan Academy instructors who have not previously received government laptops.
Other teachers without government-issued devices are next in priority, followed by previous recipients whose laptops were stolen, damaged by calamities, or declared unserviceable.
DepEd said teachers who own personal laptops or share school-issued computers remain eligible for the program.
When the number of qualified teachers within a priority category exceeds the available devices, schools may conduct a witnessed raffle through the TALA system or a manual draw.
Teachers will also be allowed to review proposed recipient lists before final selection to identify and correct possible errors.
“Malinaw at patas ang ating sistema. Uunahin natin ang mga paaralan at guro na hindi pa nakakatanggap ng laptop mula sa gobyerno, lalo na ang mga nangunguna sa pagtuturo gamit ang teknolohiya,” Angara said.
According to DepEd, the laptops were procured through competitive bidding at approximately P40,000 to P43,000 per unit, compared with an estimated commercial package value exceeding P70,000.
The procurement packages include productivity software, delivery to schools nationwide, professional training and development, and a five-year warranty.
Despite the procurement, DepEd acknowledged that the available units are still insufficient to provide every public school teacher with a dedicated laptop.
The department said it is coordinating with local government units and expanding school connectivity initiatives as part of its goal of achieving a one-to-one laptop-to-teacher ratio.
Angara said DepEd is seeking additional funding under the 2027 national budget to expand the program and address the remaining equipment shortage.
