The administration of Mayor Claudia López in Bogotá has achieved an unprecedented milestone by delivering the 134,000 tablets to students in the city, surpassing the target set in the city's Development Plan for this four-year term, which aimed to distribute 100,000 devices. This accomplishment was reached ahead of schedule and signifies that more devices have been distributed in the city in three and a half years than in the past three decades.
Since her first day in office, Mayor López has been determined to bridge the digital gap in the city, a goal that became more urgent than ever with the closure of public schools and the confinement measures imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.
From this need arose the 'Ruta 100K - Conéctate y Aprende' (Route 100K - Connect and Learn) initiative, which included the provision of technological devices, connectivity, and training for digital skills development.
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"This particular achievement is the result of teamwork. The distribution of over 134,000 tablets is a significant contribution to making quality education a reality," emphasized Mayor Claudia López in her speech just before the tablet handover.
In the following tweet, Mayor Claudia López refers to the tablets delivered in Bogotá:
Superamos todas las metas que nos propusimos en materia de educación:
— Claudia López Hernández (@ClaudiaLopez) July 13, 2023
✅Nos propusimos entregar 100 mil tabletas, vamos 134 mil.
✅Nos habíamos propuesto entregar 20 mil becas de #JóvenesALaU y vamos 36 mil, además de otras 20.000 de #TodosALaU para todas las edades.
✅Nos… pic.twitter.com/vlsszgzLSQ
To achieve this goal, the Secretary of Education of Bogota invested 76.244 billion pesos in the acquisition of the devices, which are provided to beneficiaries without the condition of being returned, meaning they are granted free of charge. These devices are the property of the students.
The strategy to contribute to closing the digital gap in Bogotá, targeting vulnerable high school students in public schools, required multiple efforts. The #DonatónPorLosNiños campaign was carried out, resources were successfully managed to acquire the devices, and procurement processes were advanced, even during the pandemic, which led to challenges of equipment and parts scarcity, as well as transportation contingencies.
"What students asked the most was a more enjoyable education with better technological tools. Children learn at an incredible pace," Mayor López recalled when discussing the development of this strategy.
By 2021, a year and a half into the administration, Bogotá had already delivered over 101,000 tablets, surpassing the target set in the City Development Plan. However, the district administration continued to seek resources and alternatives to fully bridge the digital divide, which, according to the 2018 Quality of Life Survey, affected 124,000 secondary school students in public schools in the city.
Today, in a historic milestone, Bogotá delivered device number 134,000, surpassing the aforementioned diagnosis and exceeding the target set for the four-year term. Ultimately, the most vulnerable students in the city, those who needed them the most, received a tablet or computer to continue and enhance their studies.
"I am honored that República de Venezuela School serves as the hub for the realization of the right to education for thousands of children in the Mártires district and Bogotá. This is a school that focuses on education for diversity," said Principal Hugo Florido.
"At one point, the City Council approved 60 billion pesos, but then we initiated the Ruta 100K because we don't want the tablets to end up being used for ping-pong, as happens in other places. That's why on 13 July, we can say that Bogotá has closed the digital gap," celebrated Secretary Edna Bonilla.
Visibly emotional and grateful for the learning and experiences they have had in their schools thanks to technology and the accessible devices, several students shared their stories, which go beyond simply completing homework at home. They collaborate with their classmates in virtual classrooms, engage in experiments that provide valuable lessons.
"Our project consists of programming on a tablet, advancing to competitions, and then to a robot that helps us overcome obstacles. What the robot does is move a mill to make the load fall," explained Salomé López, one of the girls who presented their projects at the event.
Ana Gabriela Mora, a graduate of Minuto de Buenos Aires School, one of the schools that received the technological devices, celebrated the efforts made by the Bogotá administration, which significantly contribute to the students' development: "I graduated from a public institution, just like all of you, and in my school, the digital gap widened, especially during the pandemic. But everything changed with Ruta 100K. At first, not everyone believed it, but as we started exploring, we acquired more knowledge," she recounted.
Who were the beneficiaries of Ruta 100K?
The tablets and computers were provided to vulnerable secondary school students in public schools in Bogotá. Priority was given to students in rural areas, those attending schools with a higher population living in poverty, students with disabilities, members of ethnic groups, and victims of the armed conflict.
The Education Department targeted the beneficiaries using official sources of information such as the Integrated Enrollment System, Sisben (Social Welfare Database), the Unique Victims Registry, rural education policy schools, and the Multidimensional Poverty Index of students in Bogotá, calculated for each school.
More connected students, more support to guide their usage
The RUTA 100K - Connect and Learn! program provides pedagogical support to strengthen digital, socio-emotional and 21st-century skills, contributing to bridging the digital gap within the school community. To date, 67,354 students have received training.
Additionally, a website was created on the educational platform Red Académica, offering educational content from various subjects to enhance digital skills, protect against internet risks, and ensure the proper use and integration of the devices in the academic environment.
Relive the delivery of the 134,000th tablet in Bogotá in this video:
