PLDT, Smart Communications Harness AI to Empower Teachers for Tech-Aided Learning

​PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) help teachers prepare for the future by providing customized classroom Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) training. Launched in honor of National Teachers' Month, PLDT and Smart's 'AI Basics: A Smart Start Talk' provides hands-on training on relevant AI-powered tools that can assist teachers in creating more engaging classroom experiences for students.

“PLDT and Smart are advocates of ‘Technology for Good’ in the field of education. Heeding the call of the Department of Education to support teacher training, we leverage our digital innovations to ensure that there will be no teachers left behind as we embrace technology-aided learning,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart.

The PLDT Group collaborated with Muntinlupa's DepEd Division to pilot the initiative. Jon Ervir Cabiling, Solutions Architect Supervisor and Officer-in-Charge of Technolab, PLDT, and Smart's Technology Innovation Center under the Network Strategy and Transformation Office, trained teachers in elementary, junior, and senior high schools on the fundamentals of AI and its core components, AI ethics and responsibilities, and practical real-world applications that will help them with their daily tasks.

The module's highlight was a hands-on exercise using AI-powered digital tools to build presentation slides, audiovisual presentations, quizzes, and voice-over avatars.

PLDT and Smart joined the free symposium 'Empowering Educators: Harnessing AI for Future-Ready Teaching', which was organized by DepEd Manila and the Aboitiz Foundation.
 
The PLDT Group's education activities are in line with the DepEd's top priorities under Secretary Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara. The agency's five-point agenda prioritizes boosting learners' foundational skills in reading, math, and science to improve Filipino students' performance in international large-scale assessments, teacher professional development, the use of digital innovations to supplement existing teaching strategies, ensuring senior high school graduates are job-ready, and improving educational infrastructure and resources.

PLDT and Smart continue to engage with partners across the country to promote inclusive and equitable quality education. These programs are consistent with the PLDT Group's efforts to help the nation reach the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 on Quality Education, which places a heavy focus on digital literacy.