BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Local telco Progresif will be providing free WiFi for 10 public schools to support online learning.
Progresif and the Ministry of Education (MoE) Tuesday launched the WiFi sponsorship programme, which also allows the public to donate data to the 10 schools.
The telco will accumulate the donated amount at every end of month and convert it into data for schools to top-up their quotas, while the ministry is responsible for distributing the data to the selected schools.
The first 10 schools to enjoy free WiFi are Sengkurong Sixth Form Centre, Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah College, Rimba II Secondary School, Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Science College, Tutong Sixth Form Centre, Perdana Wazir Secondary School, Belait Sixth Form Centre, Meragang Sixth Form Centre, Sultan Sharif Ali Secondary School and Sultan Hassan Secondary School.
During the launch ceremony, Progresif CEO Hjh Nurul Haniah Hj Jaafar said internet connectivity for education should be seen as a right in the information age.
“We believe that by providing the infrastructure for arguably the most important educational resource in this era – high-speed internet – and innovating simple ways for the community to contribute donations of data to the schools, we are creating better conditions for the success of our youth and the efficacy of our education system,” she said.
The launch comes after Progresif inked a one-year partnership with MoE last September to improve teaching and learning.
As one of the initiatives under the agreement, the ‘Donate Data’ campaign creates a channel for the public to play a part in students’ access to online learning.
Progresif subscribers can now text DA- TAEDU1/5/10/15/20/50/100 to 38222 to donate data, while non-Progresif subscribers may use Progresif PAY or BIBD Online.
The campaign starts on February 16, 2021 and ends on February 15, 2022.