NDC taps Filipino tablet provider to digitize Pinoy students

MANILA, Philippines — The National Development Company (NDC), an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Department of Education (DepEd) are partnering to provide tablets for Filipino students equipped with effective learning applications in order to further push digitization efforts among Filipino students.

“We encourage the private sector, such as ABC Tech Ventures Inc., to launch more worthwhile student initiatives. We need to take care of the pipeline of intellectual workers that we can develop by having centers like ABC Tech Hub,” NDC General Manager Anton Mauricio said during the opening of the state-of-the-art educational technology hub in Makati City recently.

“This pioneering endeavor will surely grow and is a good example of public and private cooperation toward the thrust of innovation to the country,” Mauricio said.

He added that collaboration between the NDC and ABC Tech Hub is now ongoing through the DTI’s local startup venture fund or SVF ecosystem, along with other government agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

A start-up company classified as a micro, small or medium enterprise with a revenue of less than P100 million can get P5 million in government funding through the SVF.

About ABC Tech Ventures

ABC Tech Ventures, created and maintained by Arik Carranceja, has partnered with DepEd on Project WATCH, an initiative aimed at improving the country’s educational system.

“ABC Tech Ventures bridges the gap between technology and education. We took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic that has actually changed the educational landscape in the country. We have created a durable, economical tablet loaded with educational applications suitable for students,” Caranceja said.

He further said that the ABC Tech Hub at Dream Lab in Makati's Ayala Circuit has become an experimental lab and they will replicate it to help more students.

ABC Tech Ventures produces tablets that are proudly made in the Philippines and assembled in China by Filipino software engineers.

The company’s goal is to limit a student’s use of textbooks and consolidate them into one tablet, including all subjects such as Math, Science and English.

One of the many features of the ABC Tech tablet, in addition to its durability and low price, is parental control and management, which can limit tablet use by children and prohibit students from accessing inappropriate content and games.

“Our vision is to create accessible and innovative education. We have partnered with software and application companies to create fun games where students can learn by playing,” he said.

Caranceja said the company, which began selling tablets three years ago, is targeting production of 100,000 tablets this year, following 100,000 sold in 2022 last year.

In July, ABC Tech will release the latest model for the general public, in addition to the educational tablet for students.