EXPLAINER: Who are qualified to get DepEd's new laptops for teachers?

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The Department of Education (DepEd) released the guidelines on who are eligible to receive the brand new laptops it procured for public school teachers.

The DepEd earlier secured over 172,000 units of Apple's MacBook Neo laptops, which the tech giant reportedly acknowledged as its "biggest education deal ever" for its MacBook line.

"Dahil limitado pa ang available units na kayang mabili sa allocated national budget, hindi pa lahat ng guro ay mabibigyan sa round na ito. Sisikapin nating matiyak ang patas at maayos na pamamahagi ng mga laptop," said DepEd.

Who are eligible for the budget MacBook laptops?

DepEd said that it would prioritize schools and teachers who have yet to receive any laptop.

It would also prioritize those personnel holding EdTech leadership roles or those actively helping in teaching with technology.

The beneficiaries should be active employees in the listed school during the selection, it added.

Teachers who still have a working government/school laptop issued last January 2023 to November 6, 2026 are not eligible to receive the brand new units.

However, DepEd said that those who bought their own laptops are not disqualified from receiving MacBook Neo units.

Further, the department said that former laptop recipients can still receive the MacBook Neo units by providing official records declaring that their laptops are unserviceable and decommissioned; lost or damaged because of calamity; or lost due to theft or robbery.

The department said that eligible teachers should have an active DepEd email account and the two-factor authentication must be on.

How will the recipients be chosen?

According to DepEd, there will be a draw if the allotted units are not enough for the priority groups.

Moreover, DepEd reminded that the brand new laptops are government properties. Hence, they cannot be sold or transferred to new owners without the proper authorization by the school head and property custodian.

If a teacher will be transferred to another school, the department said the laptop accountability shall be transferred as well to the new school.

Once a teacher decides to retire or resign, the laptop shall be returned to the supply officer or property custodian.

Each MacBook Neo unit was procured at P43,000, which is P6,900 below the current suggested retail price in the Philippines for the base model.

The DepEd said this included a five-year warranty, which is a first for the agency's laptop procurement, instead of the typical one-year warranty. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/KG, GMA News