DepEd, Smart introduce mobile app in support of alternative learning

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education’s Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS) and Smart Communications Inc. have partnered in pioneering mobile technologies to aid teachers across the country.

BALS handles non-formal education, providing a venue for individuals of all ages who were not able to and cannot go through the formal classroom learning to still get education and secure their elementary and high school diplomas. 

The method by which education is delivered is through 6,000 mobile teachers all over the country who go where the students are — in the mountains, isolated villages, markets or barangay centers.

Smart, through application partner Orange Fix, has developed a mobile application that will allow these educators to access teaching materials anytime, anywhere, online or offline from their mobile devices like tablets. 

Smart is offering the ALS mobile app free of charge and has bundled the app with low-cost tablets powered by Smart Bro. Teachers will have the option to go prepaid or postpaid, depending on their preference and requirements.

“Smart is pleased to partner with BALS in introducing mobile technology in teaching. Through this collaboration, we hope to democratize access to devices, connectivity and content,” said Darwin Flores, Smart department head for community partnerships.

“This is just the start. Smart will soon be introducing mobile learning for students as well,” added Flores.

“This would make the jobs of our mobile teachers a little easier. Because they are mobile, having all their teaching materials in a tablet would be more convenient than them having to carry around all those books and other teaching paraphernalia when they go to their students,” said BALS director Carolina Guerrero.

This project is part of Smart’s efforts to promote ‘mEducation’ in the country, or the use of mobile technologies to enable learning, especially to students who do not have access to formal classroom learning.

The tablets that are pre-loaded with the ALS mobile app can be ordered online via www.smart.com.ph/Bro/DepEdBALS<http://www.smart.com.ph/Bro/DepEdBALS.

BALS has been using the Smart Infoboard service, a Web-based messaging platform that allows accurate and fast transmission of circulars and other announcements from the head office to the mobile teachers wherever they may be via SMS on their mobile phones.