There is no doubt that the Internet of Everything (IoE) has revolutionized the way people live and communicate, and one sector that reaped tremendous benefits is education. By connecting to the internet, students gain access to tons of crucial learning resources for all subjects, while teachers learn new and improved teaching techniques to become better educators and bring learning to a whole new level.

Underpinning the importance of connectivity to education, one of Globe Telecom’s key initiatives, the Global Filipino Schools (GFS) program was included in a recent research study on broadband connectivity for inclusive and quality education conducted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for the Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The 52-page study, entitled “Inclusive Use of Broadband Connectivity for Quality Education, Insights from Asia and the Pacific” ( https://www.unescap.org/resources/inclusive-use-broadband-connectivity-quality-education-insights-asia-and-pacific ) was released online on September 17 with GFS as the only example from the Philippines cited by the paper.

The GFS program began in 2012 and continues to be implemented up to this time. Its goal is to promote 21st Century learning in the Philippines by supporting public schools’ transformation into centers of ICT excellence by providing broadband connectivity, mobile devices and teacher training on how technology can be integrated into the classroom. It already created various partnerships between the government and the private sector like providing the classroom infrastructure and training modules.

“We are proud that international organizations have signified interest in our GFS program for public schools. The success of this initiative also relied on the strong support given by the Department of Education,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications. “Our next step is to integrate more advanced technologies onto the program.”

Early this year, UNESCO tapped Globe to work with them on the research with the GFS program serving as a case study, where its history and how it came about as a program was cited in a total of five pages.

The research presented and analyzed a total of seven case studies that effectively used broadband technologies for quality education and covered four countries such as Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and the Philippines. It aims to increase Asia-Pacific countries’ understanding of how best to leverage broadband connectivity for their education systems, and promote dialogue among stakeholders on maximizing the quality of broadband for learning.

The study also cited Globe’s Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP), a multiple award-winning program that aims to create a safer online environment for the youth. Created by Globe, Optus, and Singtel, it hopes to turn the Filipino youth into responsible online citizens through workshops using specialized learning modules. The modules were conceptualized and designed to increase students’ knowledge of digital citizenship and cyber safety by taking a careful look at their online behavior and helping them develop insights on how the online world can influence them in making choices.

DTP has four modules: Digital Insight, recommended for Grade 7 to 10 students and features activities to help students discern proper online behavior to secure their information better; Digital Impact, tailored for Grade 7 to 10 students and tackles issues on technology’s impact on students’ social activities; Digital Ambition, created for Grade 11 to 12 students to equip them with skills on using technology to help achieve their life goals; and Digital Discernment, which teaches students how to spot false information online.

The UNESCAP serves as the United Nations’ regional hub promoting cooperation among countries. As the largest regional intergovernmental platform with 53 Member States and 9 associate members, UNESCAP has emerged as a strong regional think-tank that collects data and case studies in different countries to study the evolving economic, social and environmental dynamics of the region. Its strategic focus is to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and its research and analysis, coupled with its policy advisory services, capacity building and technical assistance to governments, aims to support countries’ sustainable and inclusive development ambitions.