Marcos leads distribution of laptops to teachers

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos and Education Secretary Sonny Angara yesterday led the nationwide rollout of more than 231,000 laptops for public school teachers.

During the turnover ceremony at Dagupan City National High School (DCNHS), Marcos vowed to provide the needs of teachers and support their professional development.

“I know many of you bought your own, used your own salary, just to do the work that you have to do. That should not be your burden anymore,” Marcos said. “We will address the lack of computers for our teachers. We will ensure that they will be delivered as soon as possible.”

Part of the Department of Education (DepEd)’s Computerization Program, the rollout covers 172,654 MacBook Neo laptops and 62,717 Windows-based laptops for teachers, along with 3,646 MacBook Neo units for administrative officers.

“With partners such as Apple and the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP), we will help you use these tools in your classrooms so you can make the most out of them,” Marcos said.

“We will continue to provide whatever resources it is that you need. And we will make sure that every peso entrusted to the government for our children’s education is spent wisely and properly,” he added.

More than 200 laptops were turned over to 10 public schools in Dagupan City.

DepEd acquired the laptops at P43,000 per unit through open and competitive bidding, saving at least P1.4 billion compared with standard retail prices.

The laptop packages include built-in productivity tools, nationwide delivery, professional training and a five-year extended warranty, bringing the estimated commercial value of each package to more than P70,000.

“Under the administration of President Bongbong Marcos, we want to provide our teachers with the best tools and proper training to make preparing lesson plans and reports easier and allow them to focus more on teaching,” Angara said.

“This proves that the government can use public funds prudently and get value for money without compromising quality for our teachers,” he added.

DepEd and the NEAP will also roll out GuroXL, a comprehensive training program that will lead to Apple Teacher certifications and specialized technology leadership credentials.

Suppliers have until March 2027 to complete deliveries to beneficiary schools, allowing educators to maximize the use of the new devices in their classrooms.

Under the selection guidelines, priority will be given to schools and teachers who have yet to receive government-issued laptops, particularly teachers who actively lead educational technology initiatives.

Schools will submit recipient lists through the Teacher Assignment for Laptop Allocation system, a registration application for device inventory and property management.

Also present at the ceremony were First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III, Pangasinan Gov. Ramon Guico III and Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez.

Opportunities

After distributing laptops, Marcos attended the mass oath-taking of 5,211 newly promoted DepEd personnel and school heads and 234 newly hired school counselor associates.

He reiterated his administration’s promise to enhance the quality of public education by expanding career opportunities, professional development and support for teachers.

“We recognize that career advancement in public education has not always been easy. For many years, teachers have had to wait a long time before moving from Teacher I to Teacher III, and from Teacher III to Master Teacher I,” he said. — Bella Cariaso, Cesar Ramirez