President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s goal of providing internet connectivity to all public schools by end-2025 is closer to reality, with over 70 percent of schools now online.
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda announced during the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry membership meeting on Wednesday that internet access has expanded significantly through joint efforts with the Department of Education (DepEd).
“Right now, from that 60 percent, I would like to report to you, working with DepEd, we’re now at 78 percent,” Aguda said.
Despite the progress, about 12,000 schools, mostly in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs), remain without internet access.
Aguda also highlighted the government’s National Fiber Backbone (NFB) project as a key driver of digital expansion. Phase 1 of the project, covering 1,200 km from Laoag, Ilocos Norte to Quezon City, has been completed. Phases 2 and 3 are now underway, targeting an additional 1,800 km of fiber optic cables from Cagayan Valley to Mindanao, expected to benefit around 17 million people.
He assured that the government is working closely with telecommunications firms to achieve the goal of 100 percent connectivity by 2025.