Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez turned over 924 laptops to all public school teachers in Victorias City on Thursday, October 5, in what was described as a “trailblazing education initiative in the Western Visayas”.
Every public school teacher in Victorias City received a laptop, Benitez said.
Also turned over were 713 SMART TVs for public school classrooms, 3,555 tablets for students, 589 teachers’ tables and chairs, 4,230 Monoblock chairs, 56 wall fans, 56 water dispensers, 28 clinic beds, 28 medicine cabinets, and 28 portable speakers.
All of these were distributed to the 27 public schools in Victorias to be utilized in accordance with a Sidlak Learning Technologies memorandum of agreement, which was signed during the turnover ceremony.
Benitez said the city government has allocated more than P100 million to improve education in Victorias.
This is the biggest investment that the city has ever made for its education sector, he said.
“This investment is the testament to our belief in the power of education and our commitment to creating an environment where every child can thrive, every teacher can inspire, and every dream can be realized,” he said in his speech.
Benitez said the initiative is not just about the numbers or the quantity of the amenities the LGU had provided but rather the impact of these resources on every student, teacher, and school community member.
“Digital technology offers a beacon of hope in this transformative journey. It possesses the potential to democratize education, making it accessible to many,” he also said.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Senate Committee on Basic Education chairman, who was the Education Summit keynote speaker, commended the initiatives and intervention programs of Victorias City.
Rep. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) said that the “The challenge now… is to once again, still show what can be done as a pioneer in recovery so that learning poverty is properly addressed and the rest of Negros Occidental will follow soon.”
He urged the teachers to use the provided technologies appropriately to ensure that learning poverty in the city will be resolved. *