FLORIDABLANCA, Pampanga , Philippines – Students of a public high school in sleepy Barangay Paguiran in the outskirts of this town have caught up with the digital age as their school became the country’s first to have Internet through WiMax or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access.
The Paguiran High School (PHS) is the first of 270 schools to be connected under the Smart Schools Program (SSP), Smart Communication’s flagship project in education.
“WiMax is a telecommunications technology that enables high-speed wireless Internet access to a wider area. Smart is rapidly rolling out its WiMax network to cover unserved areas and provide Internet connectivity to places that were once inaccessible,” said Orlando Vea, Smart’s chief wireless advisor.
“It has been our vision to provide Internet for all Filipinos, no matter where they are or what device they’re using. Through WiMAX, Smart intends to replicate the success it achieved in cellular phones in the field of wireless broadband Internet,” he added.
He said that apart from connectivity, PHS will receive a Smart Teacher’s Learning Resource Center (STLRC) consisting of two computers, two webcams, a printer and scanner.
The school will also be given access to online content via the Smart Schools website www.smartschools.ph and receive teacher training in computer literacy, information communication technology integration in the classroom, troubleshooting and maintenance, leadership and website development,” he noted.
PHS principal Jesusa Agustin said that “for the past year, our computer classes only involved learning clerical skills. But now that we have Internet connection, the students have more opportunities to learn.” The school has incorporated computer education in the Technology Livelihood Education (TLE) subject of students from first year to fourth year.
Smart’s Public Affairs Group head Ramon Isberto said even teachers will benefit from the project, as “our teachers need to learn, too.”
He said Smart’s promotion of ICT in education via the Smart Schools Program are part of the company’s “Internet for all” advocacy.