The Department of Education (DepEd) has partnered with the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to electrify last mile schools in the country.
DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara underscored the urgency of the partnership deal to ensure the learnerโs welfare amid the Marcos administrationโs electrification programs for off-grid schools.
โNow power is a basic need. If we donโt have power, we are nothing. Thatโs why what we are granting today is not just electricity, not just light, but giving hope to our fellow countrymen,โ Angara stressed ahead of the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with NEA.
The DepEd Secretary earlier said there are around 1,500 public schools that still need access to electricity. Most of these schools are in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and the provinces of North Cotabato, Palawan, Cebu, Zamboanga del Sur, and Negros Oriental.
Under the MOA, the DepEd will release funds from the electrification of off-grid schools, while NEA will design solar power systems to be procured based on parameters and specifications needed for last mile schools.
The DepEd has around PHP1.295 billion in funds for the electrification project, particularly for the purchase and installation of solar power systems.
NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda, for his oart, said electrifying off-grid public schools is a โminimumโ requirement to ensure modernized quality education.
โThe digital age has introduced modern ways of learning and teaching which are heavily reliant on access to electricity. Our schools ideally must have electricity for access to modern teaching tools like the internet,โ he said in a separate statement.
โIt is, however, obvious that not all public schools, particularly our last mile schools, have the same access to electricity. This is a disservice to our learners and hardworking teachers,โ he added.
Energy Secretary Rafael Popo Lotilla, who witnessed the MOA signing, has committed full support for the administrationโs inter-agency partnerships.
โThe signing of this agreement demonstrates our shared resolve to illuminate every classroom, help every teacher, and unlock the full potential of our learners,โ he stressed.
Lotilla, however, said the country needs around PHP85 billion to PHP100 billion to achieve the administrationโs electrification targets by 2028, benefitting not only the household but also schools.
โOur the average budget, however, has only been PHP2 (billion) to PHP3 billion a year, and therefore, we have a long way to go. So we are looking at ways and means to achieve the total electrification goal,โ he noted.
