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House OKs e-learning, Wi-Fi bills
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THE House of Representatives approved a measure seeking to expand college students' access to academic materials and internet connectivity on third and final reading.
In a statement on Thursday, House Speaker and Isabela Rep. Faustino "Bojie" G. Dy III said House Bill (HB) No. 9532, or the proposed Universal Access to Digital Academic Learning Resources Act, seeks to address disparities in access to learning materials and reliable internet connectivity among Filipino students.
The measure was approved on third and final reading on Wednesday with 202 affirmative votes and no objection and abstention.
Under the bill, the Commission on Higher Education, in coordination with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and higher education institutions, would establish a National Academic Content Repository containing digital textbooks, lecture videos, syllabi, research papers and other open educational resources.
It would also require public and private colleges and universities to provide free campus-wide high-speed Wi-Fi to students and faculty, with rural and under-resourced campuses prioritized during the initial implementation.
"When a student in a rural campus can access the same quality academic materials available to a student in a major university, we begin to close the gap," Mr. Dy said.
Also on Wednesday, the House approved HB 9605, or the National Cybersecurity and Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Act.
The bill creates a National Cybersecurity Agency under the Office of the President to lead cybersecurity efforts.
It also requires critical infrastructure operators to assess risks and report high-risk cyber incidents.
The measure is one of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council priorities for the 20 Congress. -- Pexcel John Bacon