Government-issued MacBooks for teachers will be disabled if sold: DepEd
The MacBook Neo laptops issued to teachers cannot be sold or pawned off, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.
In a press briefing on Nov. 10, Angara explained that those who attempt to sell the laptops may face administrative and criminal charges.
"Government property ['yung laptops]. 'Pag binenta nila 'yun, babayaran nila 'yun," he said.
"Each school has an IT officer; siya 'yung custodian nung IT equipment sa school."
The custodian will take charge of inventory and ensure the device is used properly.
The laptops will also be enrolled in a mobile device management system so authorities can remotely lock or disable them if they're stolen or sold.
On Nov. 9, DepEd began the nationwide distribution of the 172,654 MacBook Neo units alongside 62,717 Windows-based laptops. It will continue to provide teachers and staff with the devices until March 2027.
According to a DepEd press release, the first recipients of the laptops will be unserved teachers who are actively leading tech integration, EdTech champions, and Khan Academy teachers. This will be followed by other teachers and then past recipients whose government-issued laptops were lost to calamities or theft, or declared unserviceable.
"Malinaw at patas ang ating sistema. Uunahin natin ang mga paaralan at guro na hindi pa nakakatanggap ng laptop mula sa gobyerno, lalo na ang mga nangunguna sa pagtuturo gamit ang teknolohiya,' Angara said.
In a Nov. 2 earnings call, Apple announced that it struck its "biggest education deal" with DepEd to supply the Philippines with 170,000 MacBook Neos.
DepEd said that the laptops were acquired for about P40,000 to P43,000 per unit, which is below the P49,990 retail cost. The package comes with productivity software, nationwide school delivery, professional training and development, and a five-year warranty.