PH public school teachers to receive 172,000 laptops, DepEd says

The Department of Education (DepEd) has secured 172,654 laptops for public school teachers and administrative personnel as part of its efforts to advance digital learning and classroom modernization.

The procurement, carried out under the DepEd Computerization Program, includes 169,008 MacBook Neo units for teachers and 3,646 units for administrative officers. Deployment is scheduled from November 2026 to March 2027.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the initiative aims to ease the burden on educators who have long relied on personal funds or aging equipment for lesson preparation and other school-related tasks.

"For the longest time, our teachers have carried the heavy personal burden of buying their own laptops or maintaining outdated equipment just to keep up with lesson plans. Under the vision of President Marcos, we are changing the narrative," Angara said, according to a report by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

DepEd said the laptops were procured at PHP43,000 per unit, below the suggested retail price of PHP49,900. The package includes a five-year warranty, productivity tools, logistics support and professional development for recipients.

Apple executive John Ternus described the agreement as the company's largest education deal for Mac products, noting that about 170,000 MacBook Neo units would be deployed to teachers and staff in the Philippines, PNA reported.

Overall, DepEd has awarded contracts covering 231,725 laptops nationwide, including 62,717 Windows-based units. Paraluman News with a report of Stephanie Sevillano/Philippine News Agency