DepEd to open computer labs
in 600 additional high schools

MORE public secondary schools in the country are going "techie" with the acquisition and provision of computers by the Department of Education as part of the ongoing effort to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Education secretary Jesli Lapus said 600 more high schools will soon have their own computer laboratories. "Given the challenges, both geographic and financial we face, Information and Communication Technology in Education or ICT4E is the fastest and most economical means to improve basic education in the country," Lapus said.

An initial 600 of the 6,382 public high schools nationwide were the earlier recipients of computers under the DepEd's Computerization Program for 2003-2004. The supplemental budget for fiscal year 2006 also benefited 355 public high schools.

To date, the combined efforts of DepEd, the Department of Trade, and the Government of Japan have provided computers to 5,269 public high schools nationwide.

ICT4E, as initiated by DepEd, focuses on five areas, namely: ICT-Enabled Curriculum, ICT-Enabled Teacher, ICT-Enabled Governance, ICT- Enhanced Content, and ICT Infrastructure.

Lapus said ICT-Enabled Curriculum seeks to develop materials that will produce graduates "with 21st century skills" through appropriate instructional materials and activities; the ICT-Enabled Teacher will be able to provide capability training to other teachers in his locality; ICT-Enabled Governance will come up with digital solutions for greater transparency and effectiveness in governance; ICT-Enhanced Content will enrich public school students with information previously unavailable to them; and ICT Infrastructure will establish digital solutions that would meet certain educational requirements.

ICT4E was first formulated in the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action in line with UNESCO's goal to provide Education for All (EFA) by 2015. At the country level, it works at implementing the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA).

BESRA is a set of policy reforms aimed at improving the basic education sector by 2010. Its five major thrusts are School-based Management, Competency-based Teacher Standards, Quality Assurance and Accountability Framework, Early Childhood Education and Alternative Learning System, and Re-engineering DepEd Governance.

"Computerization is not meant to take the place of reading - a habit that we continue to spur among public school children. When carefully utilized, computers can complement books, and transform the learning experience of our children," Lapus said.

DepEd's P 26.48 billion Cyber Education project seeks to linkall schools in the country to a nationwide network that will provide 12 video channels, wireless wide-area networking, local area networking and wireless Internet connectivity. Schools and students will receive live lectures and presentations from master teachers.