Only 1.8 percent of public schools have free wifi – Gatchalian

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said only 1.8 percent of public schools have free wifi five years after the enactment of the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act.

Gatchalian urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology to ensure that it meets its target in rolling out internet connection in public places, especially educational institutions.

“Our learners are the ones who will greatly benefit from this because it will improve the flow of information, especially for our poorest constituents,” he said.

Based on the Free Public Wi-Fi Dashboard, only 860 public schools or 1.8% of the country’s 47,421 public schools have free access to Wi-Fi.

Gatchalian said that the pandemic emphasized the country’s digital divide. 

A 2021 survey by the World Bank on low-income households showed only 40% have access to the internet. It also revealed that 95.5% of these households used paper-based learning modules and materials.