MANILA — Public school students in Makati will receive flash drives containing materials they can use as they start distance learning this month while the COVID-19 pandemic remains, the city government said Wednesday.

The devices, called On-The-Go (OTG) flash drives, contain learning modules in digital format and educational videos that students can access with their gadgets, City Hall said in a statement.

The local government started distributing the flash drives earlier this month, along with printed modules, washable face masks, and other school supplies.

Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay said schools in the city would blend online classes with the use of modules to deliver lessons to students, who would mostly be studying at home due to the suspension of in-person classes.

Out of over 78,000 public school students in Makati, around 74.9 percent have cellphones that they can use for online learning, according to data from the Department of Education's office in the city.

Some 24 percent, meanwhile, have laptops, tablets, iPads, television, and radio, while 1.1 percent have no gadgets.

When public schools start classes on Oct. 5, the city government will also deploy 27 mobile learning hubs around the city to assist students without gadgets or internet connection.

Binay also earlier said the local government would give free internet load for students and educators, and some 2,500 laptops for teachers.

Aside from Makati, other local government units in Metro Manila also distributed gadgets to their public school students and teachers, such as Pasig and Manila.

• Manila gov't distributes gadgets for public school teachers, students