I-schools project deliver computer units to schools

In cooperation with partner companies Air21 and Advanced solutions, the second-leg of the I-schools Project was implemented last February 28-29, during which 21 units of computers were distributed to each of the six beneficiary schools in the Lanao region.

Members of the CILC were deployed in the said schools to help with the installment of the units and in providing training to the computer teachers of the new program introduced, which is the open software Ubuntu operating system.

According to Ronald Hupa, one of the IT staff of MSU-IIT, Integrated Developmental School (IDS), one of the beneficiary schools, the open software is free and therefore more convenient for school use as opposed to the conventionally used Microsoft Windows which has to be bought. However, he admits that the shift will be difficult especially for the students because they are not used to the new program.

IDS school Principal Digna Padura, said that they might consider incorporating the teaching of the Ubuntu system into their IT curriculum. Padura adds that they believe that advanced and updated knowledge on IT is vital to students, even if they are still in high school.

Deployment problems

The distribution and installation did not go as smooth as planned.

This was the overall assessment during the evaluation meeting of ICT team last March 24, presided by I-Schools Project coordinator Dr. Emmanuel Lagare.

Feedback from the trainers included time setbacks due to the late delivery of the units, the lack of electricity and internet connection, defective units and failure of reimbursements for travel.

“Our partner Air21 assured us that they had enough manpower to deliver all the units within the timeframe we set but the actual delivery process showed that their manpower was insufficient. Had they been on time, we might have been able to better attend to the problems,” Lagare said.

Some problems with the hardware also cropped up. According to some of the trainers, some units did not work and so they had to reassemble some of the parts. Problems with the software with regard to entering the network also surfaced.

Suggestions for upcoming trainings

The CILC trainer for Suarez National High School said they also had a lot of problems with the training.

“There were brownouts and we lacked manuals. Also there was no coordination between the software and the materials. I think there was too much output demand and we had a hard time keeping up,” she said.

The team made the suggestions during the meeting. They said computers should be troubleshot before the training. The project should stick to the 1 trainer is to 20 participants ratio and the training period should be more designed for beginners.

The iSchools Project: Equipping the modern Pinoy

In an internet-driven world, everyone is hard-pressed to keep up with the technology. Every aspect of society is to some extent (if not fully) dependent on computers, the internet and the convenience the technology brings. Schools, hospitals, businesses and even the government incorporate an ICT element in their work.

In an effort to equip today’s youth -the future builders and the present foundations of this country- with the ability to not only keep up, but compete with the rest of the world, The Commissions on Information and Communications Technology Human Capital Development Group (CICT) together with partner State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) all over the country came up with The iSchools Project.

What the project is all about

According to Engr. Roly Barlot, one of the engineers involved in the project, iSchools will serve not only as a conduit of eLearning especially in rural areas, but more importantly, it is “an outsourcing job potential for Filipinos” as well.

Today’s computer and technology-driven world demands for our students and future job seekers to compete in the local and global employment markets with those from more developed countries, and for them to do so, we need to equip them with the right skills now.

Who will benefit from project?

Public high schools all over the country are the target beneficiaries for the project. In a stakeholders’ meeting for the SUC volunteers, the criteria for choosing the benefit schools were presented.

The criteria are the following:

-absence of a computer laboratory
-presence of stable and sufficient supply of electricity
-adherence to counterpart responsibilities such as:
-room space of 48sqm or higher, preferably near the school entrance
-provision of computer chairs and tables, electrical requirements of the lab, cabling requirements of PCs located in the library, faculty room and principal's office
-safeguarding the premises (equipments and users)
-strong support from the school community and development partners in the area
-willingness and ability to integrate ICT in education for learning and management
-presence of internet connection in the area

As for the project objectives, Gambol explained in an iSchool Sustainability Workshop held in Iloilo that the basic premise of the project, aside from serving as a link between the school and the community and being a permanent part of education, is self reliance.

Looking forward: Where will The iSchools Project take us?
During the stakeholders’ meeting, the SUC volunteers were also informed of the project’s long-term objectives.
By 2010, CICT projects that:
· the personal computer to student ratio will have been lessened from 1:300 to 1:50
· ICT will have been incorporated in the curriculum
· 100% of all Philippine high schools will be ICT enabled.

See related story on this page: IIT partners CICT in iSchools project (NEWS)

IIT partners CICT in iSchools project (NEWS)

A team of 15 volunteer faculty members from different departments will be training public high school students on Information Communication Technology (ICT) in a 3-month period starting this November.

The training is part of the iSchools Project spearheaded by the Commissions on Information and Communications Technology Human Capital Development Group (CICT) together with partner State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) all over the country.

“IIT is committed to developing the capability of the people in our service area. [They need] to be globally competitive, and to be globally competitive means to be ICT-skilled,” said MSU-IIT ICT Coordinator Emmanuel Lagare.

Project benefits

CICT will allot P100,000 per beneficiary school for training expenses.
The beneficiary schools for Iligan are Iligan City East High School, Iligan City National High School and the MSU-IIT, Integrated Developmental School.
The schools were chosen based on criteria set by CICT. According to the iSchool’s official blog entry from the Learning Resource Center, 189 beneficiaries has been named from Luzon, 68 from Visayas and 63 from Mindanao.
As presented during the stakeholders’ briefing for the SUC volunteers, iSchools Project’s long-term plan by 2010 is to lessen the personal computer to student ratio from 1:300 to 1:50, incorporate ICT in the curriculum and make sure 100% of all Philippine high schools are ICT enabled.

by Mara Barbra Nanaman
IIT SUC volunteer