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Teachers Elizabeth Tovera and Juna Mirason from Jose Gonzales Elementary School (JGES), a Last Mile School in Benguet, dedicate most of their time to writing lessons on manila paper to use as visual aids for their learners.

These are the kinds of challenges that last-mile and multigrade school teachers face before the implementation of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Computerization Program.

Multigrade schools like JGES combine two grade levels in one classroom. This setup requires teachers to prepare separate lesson plans, visual aids, and student records—all previously handwritten and manually computed.

With laptops, tablets, and Smart TVs now available in their school, teachers can now create visual aids using design software, saving time and allowing them to focus more on lesson planning, which leads to improved student engagement and learning outcomes.

An Investment in the Future

President Bongbong Marcos has envisioned the classrooms of the future as a space where learners and teachers are empowered by technology. DepEd has responded to this vision through the DCP. 

Meet Ryzza Mae Mayomis, a Grade 6 student at JGES. She shared how her tablet has become essential for her assignments and projects and since acquiring this gadget, she felt empowered to take on her daily classes with just one tap on her screen.

“Nakakatulong po ito lalo na kapag may lessons kami at kapag may mga assignment — nakakapag-research po kami. Ginagamit ko po yung tablet para sa science subject namin,” Ryzza Mae explained.

Aside from making the lives of our teachers easier, the DCP’s priority is to provide our learners with better access to technology, which enhances the learning experience in schools.

Despite the budget cut for Fiscal Year 2025, which has gravely affected the DCP, Secretary Angara underscored that the agency is still determined to fulfill DepEd’s commitment to connecting schools.

DepEd is currently powering through the delivery of 64,816 laptops and smart TV packages worth P1.913 billion to 16 regions of the country under the DCP program. These packages are set to be delivered to schools by the second half of the year, in response to the reports of 39,972 (69.3%) schools with below ideal student to device ratios.

Strengthening Connectivity 

In addition to providing hardware to schools, DepEd has procured licenses for Google Education Plus. This advanced platform grants access to Google’s productivity suite and enhances tools like Google Meet, Google Classroom, and AppSheet.

The launch of Google Education Plus on March 10 marks the investment of the Department to its 1 million teaching and non-teaching personnel in technology.

“This partnership with Google is not just a major upgrade; it’s proof that education, when powered by the right technology, can scale exponentially,” stated Education Secretary Sonny Angara.

DepEd’s latest partnership will provide 1 million Google Workspace for Education Plus accounts for teaching and non-teaching staff, enhancing efficiency and productivity across the agency.

Teachers and personnel will likewise have the opportunity to collaborate through various platforms such as Gmail, Classroom, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Assignments.

Designed for teachers, Google Education Plus simplifies essential tasks such as attendance checking and grade computation. It also includes integration with Khan Academy, further enriching the learning experience.

Connecting the Last Mile

As JGES embraces technology in both teaching and learning, the mission of DepEd’s Computerization Program comes to fruition, for last mile schools to be connected and their distance conquered. DepEd plans to build on the full promise of the DCP through partnerships with tech companies like Google.

In the faces of teachers like Teacher Juna and Elizabeth, DCP means improved learning outcomes because they can finally maximize technology and new media in teaching. “Mas naeengganyo po silang makinig dahil may mga larawan na po silang nakikita gamit ng PowerPoint, at mas naiintindihan na po nila ang mga visual aids,” Teacher Juna shared.

The DCP packages, based on these testaments are more than gadgets. They are opportunities for teachers to teach better, “Dati, puno ng manila paper yung mga classroom, matagal kaming nagsusulat gamit ang Pentel pen. Ngayon, sa PowerPoint na kami gumagawa at mas naiintindihan na ng mga learners ang nakasulat sa visual aids,” added Teacher Elizabeth.

President Marcos himself has emphasized the power of technology in Philippine classrooms. During the 2024 State of the Nation Address, the President remarked on “the depth and breadth at which these technologies will be transformative in our lives is fully expected.”

DepEd under Secretary Angara is prepared to use its full mandate to pursue that depth and breadth until the last miles are connected.                                                              

*All Photos from DepEd