Makati public school students to get tablet PCs

By Ayesha Bhatti
Correspondent, SAM Daily Times

MANILA, Philippines – Just like selected students of La Salle Greenhills in Mandaluyong, a number of public school pupils in Makati City will be using tablet computers instead of bulky textbooks this coming school year.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay said the city government will be providing tablets to senior high school enrollees in selected public schools on a pilot basis.

Senior high school teachers will also get tablet computers “to have a more interactive and encouraging classroom scenario.”

“We are just preparing the mechanics and guidelines before we can officially give the tablet computers to our students,” Binay said in a statement.

He noted that the tablet computers will address common problems among schoolchildren such as spine injuries caused by heavy school bags.

Aside from tablet computers, the city government will also give out free groceries to students who regularly go to school as the equivalent of the conditional cash transfer program of the national government.

According to Binay, some public school students are unable to go to school as their parents could not afford to give them allowances.

“Some students often could not go to school because their parents could not afford to give them baon for their meals, so we are thinking of giving them grocery items,” he said.

Last year, La Salle Greenhills issued 500 tablet computers to selected students to lessen their burden in carrying books.

The device was designed by information technology expert Jun Lozada, more known to the public as the star witness in the NBN-ZTE scandal.

Those who availed of the device paid P14,500 on top of tuition fees.